Exodus: Birth of a Nation
by wickedmetalviking1990
Summary: An epic bigger than "The Ten Commandments", see the whole story of how one man founded a nation on nothing more than faith. Rated T for violence and language.
1. A Simple Act of Kindness

**(AN: Welcome again, people, to another tale from the first book ever printed! Yes, once again I bring you another tale of epic proportions from the Bible! This chapter was written on a whim, since I wanted a little more than how I originally started it. Part of me wants to, in addition to telling this story, tell the tale of the rest of the Pentateuch [sometimes as flash-backs], as part of a sub-plot [or multiple sub-plots] for this story. If that is meet, please make it known)**

**(I realized that this is the second ff on this site to do with Moses, and one of few _serious_ biblical ff's on here. Well, then those interested in a good epic adventure story better buckle your seat-belts...BC, he were come!)**

* * *

><p><strong>A Simple Act of Kindness<strong>

A welcome sight if ever there was one!

When trudging through the desert non-stop, any sign of life meant water.

And water was life.

In Egypt, water was so abundant that the people almost took it for granted that Khnum would make the cataracts gush forth with life-giving water upon the fertile flood-plains. Indeed, in the years that followed, many would view Egypt as a prime source of extreme material wealth. This was the case because, situated along the great Nile river, the people had almost instant access to water, which would feed their animals, grow their crops and cleanse their bodies, leaving them with less time to worry about food and more time to worry about "finer" things.

In the desert, it was not so.

The earth was dry and salty, and little grew in the huge miles of barren land. Those who dared inhabit this rugged terrain were bedouins, noble sheiks who led their families hither and yon from watering holes to pastures, the same way their fathers and their fathers' fathers had done in times past. With them were their goods, their money, their means of survival, their currency.

The flocks.

In Egypt, large amounts of gold came from the mines in various mountains on the frontier of their oasis kingdom. In the desert, there was no gold, and if it were found, it was of no use to the bedouins. Practicality ruled in this harsh, unforgiving yet desolately beautiful land. Sheep could provide milk and cheese, as well as wool for clothing. They were as good as gold out here, and keeping them alive was the prime directive of every shepherd.

* * *

><p>But not only did the sheep need to stay alive, they needed to be kept well and healthy. And that meant water and food.<p>

So it was no surprise that the group of women looked suspiciously on the man sitting with his back to the well.

Their father's well.

For these women were shepherdesses, daughters of Jethro, sheik and high priest of Midian. They were in the midst of drawing water from the well for lord Jethro's flocks when they caught sight of the stranger. The oldest, a dark-skinned woman, was almost thirty-five years old. She was the one who stood between the others and this strange man, with a staff in her hand.

"Wake up," she said to the stranger, prodding at his foot with her staff.

Slowly the man roused from his sleep.

Once he opened his eyes, he began speaking to them.

None of them recognized the words he spoke, except for the oldest.

Except for Zipporah.

"You're from Egypt?" she asked, speaking in the man's tongue. Being the eldest daughter of the sheik of Midian meant that she learned a few things that were usually passed down to the son.

"Y-Yes." the stranger answered. His voice was slow, and he seemed to be stumbling over his words even as he spoke them.

"You're on my father's land," she returned, gripping her staff a little bit tighter. "Leave at once."

"A-As...As you wish." the stranger stammered, looking at the ground as he rose to his feet.

"Zipporah, we have trouble!" one of the other women said. She was looking, not at the strange Egyptian, but at something behind them.

The sound of braying goats...

And men.

"It's the Amalektie herdsmen," one of the other shepherdesses stated.

"Damn!" another commented. "Why won't they leave us alone?"

"It's a desert, sister." the eldest said. "They need water as much as we do."

"There's plenty of other places to gather water," the one who swore returned. "This is our father's well!"

"We have to get rid of them, before they scatter the flock!" a fourth commented.

"Wait, sisters!" level-headed Zipporah said, raising her hand to prevent any foolish incident. "We'll tell them to leave. After all, this is our father's well and we were here first. We don't want to antagonize them."

"They're the ones who pick off the weak from the back of caravans!" the eldest but one stated. "They have no honor!"

"Come, let us be off." Zipporah said to her sisters.

One by one, they made their way toward the on-coming Amalekite herdsmen.

The herdsmen saw a small group of women walking towards them, staves in hand. They seemed to be cutting their access to the well. Only seven of them against six herdsmen: it didn't seem like much of a contest.

"By the gods!" exclaimed one of the herdsmen with a smile on his face. "Is this a mirage? Fair maidens wait for us at the well after we've done our work."

"And what are you doing here, Shatar?" Zipporah asked.

The herdsman who spoke seemed a little put off by her remark.

"I regress," he returned. "An old maid waits for us at the well with a staff in her hand."

"Pig!" shouted Zipporah's youngest sister from behind her.

"Why?" the herdsman mocked. "Is it my fault no one will have her to their bed? I thought your God was in control of all things, eh?"

The staff in Zipporah's hand was now leveled into a fighting position.

"Speak all you want against me," she said. "But don't you dare say another word about..."

"Your God?" the herdsman returned. "Some help He is: gives Jethro seven b*tches rather than sons, doesn't seem like much of a blessing."

The youngest girl spit in the direction of the Amalekite herdsman. Fortunately, it did not strike him and he just laughed it off.

"Is that all you can do?" he asked. "Defend your father's well with spit and harsh words?"

"We got here first." Zipporah said through clenched teeth.

"And we're taking over."

"You're outnumbered."

"By one?" the herdsman laughed. "Besides, you're seven girls. We're six men, worth at least two of you."

"Leave!" Zipporah returned. "I won't ask you again."

"Thought you'd say that."

Before anyone could make a move, the herdsman back-handed Zipporah across the face and then struck her with his staff, sending her to the ground.

"You bastards!" the youngest girl almost screamed.

"Now see here, there's no need to cry out," the herdsman said with false sympathy, which faded as soon as he smirked knavishly. "Not yet, at least."

The girl lunged at him with her staff, but he stepped aside and tripped her feet with his own staff, sending her to the ground. One of the other Amalekite shepherds reached down for her.

"Not yet," their leader said, turning to his comrade and pointing his staff at the girl. "I've already called her as my own. There's plenty enough for all of us, don't worry."

A few grumbled agreements came from the other shepherds.

The leader then turned to the other girls.

The butt-end of a staff connected with his mouth, drawing blood on the hot sand.

Two others took up their staves and rushed at the new-comer. As sand-blown and wind-swept as he looked, he was apparently a master-at-arms, even with a staff. He pushed the first one aside with his staff and then struck the other one in the groin with his staff. One of the larger shepherds attacked, but the stranger struck him on the temple with his staff, sending him to the ground.

The two who remained standing looked as though they'd seen a _djinn_.

Their leader was rising up to his feet, rubbing his sore jaw.

"Go!" the stranger ordered, holding his staff before them in a threatening manner. "Leave these women in p-p-p-peace!"

The lead herdsman laughed.

"Is that the best Jethro's got?" he mocked. "A stuttering old fool to protect his sorry well?"

The stranger's staff-butt suddenly shot up and hit the herdsman in the mouth again.

A few bloody teeth were coughed out of his mouth.

"Go!"

One by one the shepherds rose to their feet and left as instructed, limping or clutching their wounded sides in hurt and shame. Hurt at being injured.

Shame at being driven off by an old man with a staff.

To his benefit, the stranger was hardly old. Middle-aged, for certain, but he was hardly old. Beneath his robe were strong muscles, forged by years of swordsmanship practice and training of other such.

Not only was he not old, he was anything but feeble.

He turned to the dark-skinned woman lying in the sand. He reached down and offered her his hand, lifting her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked slowly.

She nodded, but the other girls were almost giggling among each other.

Their oldest sister was smiling, and looked rather flustered.

"Yes." she said at last, trying not to sound like a blushing maid of thirteen.

The stranger did not notice how she was behaving and turned instead to the other girl, lifting her up to her feet.

"Thank you, kind stranger." the youngest said. "I know you can't understand what I'm saying, but don't be ashamed by their comments about your stuttering. I'd like to see Prince Shatar speak after you broke his teeth like that!" She laughed a little.

But before she could say "stop", Zipporah translated everything she said to the stranger in Egyptian. He hung his head in embarassment. Zipporah said something to him in Egyptian, and he returned with another short, halting statement.

"What did he say?" the youngest asked.

"He says you're very kind," Zipporah answered. "He's also asked if he can water the sheep for us."

"But we can do it ourselves!" the youngest girl commented.

"Please, Basinah!" Zipporah said to her youngest sister. "Don't defer an act of kindness. Remember what father says about entertaining strangers."

"But he's no angel." Basinah commented.

"He's handsome enough to be one." one of the others stated.

"How would you know? You've never seen an angel!"

The others continued chatting until Zipporah called their attention.

"I'm going back to the camp," she said. "Take care of the sheep while I'm away." She then turned to young Basinah, pointing to the Egyptian. "Get him some water too. He looks like he's been in the desert too long."

* * *

><p>The camp. Several tents arranged together in a loose group, with servants milling about, tending after their own things and such. The largest tent, of course, belonged to the master of the clan, the sheik.<p>

Zipporah pushed the curtain-flap aside and entered the tent. Though one would expect a tent to be hot, especially in the desert, it sheltered one from the sun and that was worth even a little bit of something.

Seated down upon a rug was a very old and venerable looking sage with a white beard and deep, poignant eyes. He noticed the arrival of his eldest daughter, who placed her staff down and knelt down before him.

"You're back early from your duties, my child." he stated, turning towards his daughter.

"We were attacked by Amalekites." Zipporah answered.

"Damn," he said beneath his breath, then he spoke aloud to his eldest daughters. "The girls, they're not hurt, are they?"

"No, my father." Zipporah answered. "An Egyptian saved us from the Amalekite shepherds."

"And where is he?" Jethro asked.

"He asked to draw water for our flocks." she answered.

"Why is it that you've left him there?" Jethro returned. "Where is your hospitality, daughter? In God's holy name, have I taught you nothing?"

"Father?"

"You know how far it is from Egypt, my dear." he stated. "The stranger must be famished, bring him here to our tents that he may eat."

Zipporah smiled and bowed, then picked up her staff and departed from her father's presence.

Several minutes passed and Zipporah returned, with the stranger at her side.

He bowed before the venerable sheik.

"Salaam, friend." Jethro said. "Please, be seated."

The stranger nodded and sat before the old man.

"I have heard rumors," Jethro began. "Of a stranger from Egypt chasing caravans from well to well, living off bread-crumbs, as it were. Is this you, my friend?"

The stranger nodded.

"Since, it seems, you have no place to live," Jethro said. "You are welcome to me and to my tent, to eat of our food and be with us as a guest."

"If-If I may," the stranger stammered. "W-Why would you show me s-such k-k-kindness? I'm a n-nobody."

"You shall be no man no more," the old man said. "First, tell me your name."

The stranger swallowed.

"I am Moses, son of Amram and Jocheved." was the answer.

"I am Jethro, sheik and high priest of Midian." the old man said.

Shortly, one of the house-hold servants appeared with food, which the two ate after Jethro said a prayer.

"In answer to your question," Jethro said to Moses. "My people are commanded to show kindness to strangers. For in so doing, Abraham entertained the **LORD** Himself."

Moses' ears perked up at the mention of the name.

"You know of Abraham?" he asked.

"Abraham is the father of many nations," the old sheik said. "We are the children of Midian, who was himself a son from Abraham's loins."

Moses almost smiled.

"It's b-b-b-been many years since I heard the n-name of Abraham." he said.

"Then I shall re-educate you in the story," Jethro said. "If I may."

"By your p-permission, sheik."

* * *

><p>The day was hot on the plains of Mamre.<p>

A large group of tents sat around the fertile valley, where the flocks were gathered for the tending and keeping.

An old man leaning upon a staff was looking out at all that was before him. He recalled the first day he had left his home so many years ago, taking only those of his family who desired to go and his servants, and going out into the middle of nowhere.

Now they were a multitude, so great that he had to part ways with his nephew just to keep the peace.

As he himself had said, "The land is not able to bear us, that we may dwell together."

Three hundred and eighteen servants, enough donkeys, horses, cattle, sheep, goats and other animals to consist of a vast fortune in regards to bedouin possessions. Regarding their families, this made his little band appear like a small army to those who saw them. His friends, the Amorite prince Mamre and his brothers, believed him to be blessed by the gods, to have everything. And at first glance, he did have everything.

Except a son.

He paused, turning now to the east. Three figures were walking down the sand-dunes, coming towards the camp.

The old man leaned heavily upon his staff and waited for the three figures to arrive closer.

They were now at hand. He walked over to them and threw himself down at their feet.

"My **LORD!**" the old man entreated to the middle of the three. "My **LORD**, if I have found favor in Your eyes, I pray, do not pass away from Your servant."

"We are going to the cities of plain." the one on the right said.

"Please," the old man returned, rising to his feet. "Let me prepare some food for you, and water to be brought out that you may wash your feet." He then turned and pointed to an olive tree. "Please, rest from the heat of the sun beneath yonder tree. Once you have rested and eaten, you may be on your way."

The One in the middle nodded. "Let it be so."

The old man led the three into the shade of the tree and then hurried back to the nearest tent and began preparations for their meal.

A few moments later, he returned with some meat, butter and milk and presented this to the strangers.

"Thankfully," the old man said. "Eleazar is a fine cook. That calf was prepared in almost no time."

The middle One nodded.

"Where is your wife Sarah?" the one on the left asked, in a voice that was almost musical.

"In the tent," the old man said, pointing to the tent. "She's preparing bread for us. She'll be out shortly. Now let us eat."

The old man said a prayer to God for the food, which was met with by an 'amen' from the others.

"I tell you," the One in the middle said to the old man. "At the time appointed, I will surely return to you. And behold, your wife Sarah will have a son."

The old man said nothing. It was far too good to be true. He was an old man, and his wife had not bled as women do in many years. Even when she did, she was wholly unable to bear children at all. It was a shame to him, though he pretended not to care: he loved Sarah more than life itself, loved her enough to lie to the Pharaoh of Egypt, thinking that it would save her life.

"Here she is now!" the old man stated.

An equally old woman approached, bearing bread for the strangers. She gave first to the one on the left, who nodded in thanks and then to the one on the right who did the same. As she gave bread to the middle One, He spoke.

"Why did you laugh, Sarah?"

"Pardon me, my **LORD**," the old woman replied. "But I didn't laugh."

Her hands were trembling.

"But you did," the One said. "You said that it was impossible for you to have children, much less in your old age. But is _anything_ too hard for the **LORD**?"

"No, my **LORD!**" she repeated. "I did not laugh!"

"Nay, but you _did_ laugh." He said.

Sarah bowed and then left, feeling very ashamed and fearful.

"I tell you again, Abraham," the One said to the old man. "At the time appointed, I will return to you...and your wife will have a son."

The One then looked at each of the other two.

They nodded.

"Thank you for your generosity, Abraham." the one on the right said.

"Yes," the younger, musically-voiced one on the left added. "The **LORD** will not forget the kindness you have shown to us."

"Wait, where are you going?" Abraham said, rising to his feet as they began to leave.

"The cities of the plain." answered the one on the right.

"Why?"

But the One in the middle was looking up to the sky.

"Father," He said. "Shall I hide from Abraham My mission, though I know he will become a great and mighty nation, through whom all the nations of the Earth shall be blessed?"

Silence flowed between the four of them.

"What did You say?" the old man asked.

"I know that you will command your children," He continued. "To keep the ways of the **LORD**, to do justice and judgment, that the **LORD **may fulfill His promise to you. Therefore you must know."

"Know what?"

"Why I have come down." He said. Standing on the edge of the hill as the others walked off on their own.

"Why is that?"

The stranger paused, a look of severe sadness upon His face.

"Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great," He answered. "And their sins are very grievous. Therefore I have come down, to see if they have done everything according to their cry - and if not, I will know."

Abraham was no fool, He knew that of a certain. He also knew that this old man was a good man, who cared for everyone in his employ, and there was someone who he knew down there who he would not forget.

The old man threw himself at His feet.

"Far be it from You, O **LORD**," he said. "To destroy the righteous with the wicked. Peradventure there are fifty righteous people in all the cities of the plain: will You destroy and not spare the place for those fifty? Shall not the Judge of all the earth...do right?"

"Fear not," He answered. "If I find in Sodom alone fifty righteous people, I will spare the whole city just for their sakes."

He turned, but Abraham, still kneeling, crawled after Him.

"My **LORD**," he said. "I am nothing to You - dust and ashes - yet I dare to speak again. What if there lack five of those fifty: shall the city be destroyed for a lack of five?"

"Even if I find forty-five righteous people alone," He returned. "I will not destroy the city for their sakes."

"Please, **LORD!**" he continued, placing his hands upon the hem of His garment but not even daring to look up. "What if there are only forty...or thirty...or even as few as twenty? Will You destroy the city if You only find twenty righteous people therein?"

"For the sake of twenty," He said. "The cities will not be destroyed."

He turned His gaze up, ready to return once again into the Light. His work was done, the others could do just as well on their own.

But his hands were still clutched to His garment.

"Let not the **LORD** be angry with me," Abraham said again, his face still in the dust. "And may I speak just once more. Peradventure..._ten_ shall be found there..."

"The city shall not be destroyed, even if there are only ten righteous found within it."

Suddenly He was gone.

* * *

><p>"Yes, my young friend," Jethro said. "The <strong>LORD<strong> Himself and His angels were there with Abraham, speaking to him and sharing the promise of a son to him."

Moses was speechless.

"I...I am glad to have found people who believe as I do...as my f-father and mother did." he said.

"Do my words please you?" Jethro asked.

"More than pleased, my lord." he said. "If I may dare to ask, I would like to live with you in this land. I am a g-g-g-...I am an able warrior, and I was ed-d-d-du-c-c-c-ated in Egypt. I can learn easily how to be a shepherd."

Jethro paused, stroking his beard in pensive thought as he considered the Egyptian's request.

A smile came to his face.

"It pleases me to allow you to stay with us, Moses." he said at last. "Therefore, I say to you once again, you are most welcome to me and to my house."

* * *

><p><strong>(Yes, this is the story of Moses!)<strong>

**(_Basinah_ is an actual Arabic name, it means "kitten". Just wanted a name for one of Jethro's daughters, she's obviously the youngest. As for Zipporah's skin-color, that is based on another passage from either Exodus or Numbers, which said that Moses' wife had dark skin like an Ethiopian [yes, _Prince of Egypt_ got that right too]. Jethro is heavily inspired by Omar Shariff, because who else could play a bad-ass sheik like Jethro [or Abraham] save for him?)**

**(And there will be language. Possibly more than in _Joshua: King of Heaven_, but not to a carcinogenic degree like in _Red and Gold_ [my original story on FP], where it sounds out-of-place.)**

**(Furthermore, I've written these few parts as "prologues", similar to my _Star Trek: Conflict_ story with the four new prologues, since they will tell the background of the story. It's all good, don't worry)**

**(What about the "cutaway" scenes? I originally included them to help flesh out the story and advance plots and sub-plots of various characters. Should I keep?)  
><strong>


	2. Genesis

**(AN: Sorry to any I offended with the dialogue from the Three Angels part. I know many of you may not hold similar beliefs, and therefore I trust you can ignore my slip-up. It was made according to my thoughts, so it will have a little of my own input from it.)**

**(For those with a keen eye, you may notice that this was originally going to be the first chapter, based on my wording and such. For your sake, I added the pre-first prologue on the spot. Here now is prologue 1...part 2, named after the first part of the _Torah_ for two reasons, as you shall soon see.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Genesis<strong>

The hot day's sun rose to kiss the blasted desert lands. The Bedouin women wore veils and turbans about their heads as they tended the sheep. A man there was among them, tall and strong, whom they were teaching how to shepherd the flock. Even for a lowly and despised shepherd, the thought of a woman teaching a man how to do anything was unheard of. But he listened intently and did as he was instructed.

As they were so engaged, another figure joined them. This one was a woman also, but she was older and of greater importance than the other six. A staff was in her hand and a cloak of sheep's wool upon her shoulder.

"Egyptian!" Zipporah called out.

The man raised his head in response.

"My father commands that you appear before his tent."

The tall Egyptian man did as he was instructed, to the chagrin of the other women.

"What if the Amalekites come to take our well again?" Basinah asked.

"Then you'll know where to find the Egyptian, sister." the eldest one said.

The eldest one took the Egyptian from the flock over to the small gathering of tents set up just a few yards away. She led him to the largest tent, where she opened the screen and they entered.

Zipporah bowed before her father, who nodded in return. He then turned to look at the Egyptian.

"Sit down, Moses." the old man said to the Egyptian, who sat down before him.

If an Egyptian, than he looked like no typical Egyptian. Dark hair, now long and slightly unkempt, sat upon his crown, whereas most Egyptians wore black wigs or were bald altogether. His facial features also were unlike those of any Egyptian, though he spoke the Egyptian language fluently. The old sheik communicated with him in his native tongue, for the sheik was a man of great renown, who knew several languages.

"I should be out there, working among the flocks." the old sheik said. "After all, they are mine, raised by my hand and the hand of my beloved until we raised children to tend to them."

"A leader doesn't directly lead his people, good sheik." the Egyptian named Moses said. He spoke softly, and sometimes haltingly, as if he had great difficulty speaking to anyone.

"Perhaps in Egypt, but here in the wilderness, things are different. Very different indeed, my friend. There are no governors or priests to argue over procedure, no small niceties to dull the senses. It is a very hard life in the desert, but I feel confident that the God of our fathers sent you to me for a reason."

"Is that why you decided to keep me?"

"Keep you? Ha! You speak as if you are a prisoner here! No, my friend, you are free to leave if you so desire. It would not be truth to say that I have no need of a man's help here: oh, make no mistake, my daughters are fine shepherdesses, but they are but women. No disrespect to the fairest of God's creations, mind you, but I am an old man who does not possess the strength of his youth.

"No, Moses, I do not keep you simply because the God of our fathers told me to. It is required of my people to give out the hand of hospitality to strangers, for in so doing did our father Abraham entertain the Almighty Himself!"

"If I may ask, good sheik, why was I called into your tent?"

"Ah, yes, I believe I owe you that explanation. When you first came among us, you chose to stay here, and lent your hand to helping me and my daughters with our work, which has prospered because of you. If you desire to stay, I have no objections to that. I would, however, like very much to instruct you in the ways of my people, for you have lived with us for three months time. In exchange, I would like to know something about yourself, and what drove you to leave the land of Egypt the way you did."

"I think my hand is much better served to you in the fields, good sheik."

"As it is, I have no objection to that. However, I would be most displeased if you reject my offer. I only offer it, I cannot force my wishes upon you."

"As the sheik commands."

"Very well." The old sheik asked his eldest daughter to bring them food. "As the host, it falls to me to trouble you with the asking of questions. May I commence?"

"As you wish."

The eldest daughter returned and gave to them some bread and meat, which, after the old sheik blessed, they began to eat.

"I would first like to ask you about the nature of yourself. Who were you in Egypt? Who were your father and mother? Were they Egyptians as well? And finally, though painfully familiar, what drove you to leave the land of Egypt?"

Moses finished his food and then began to speak.

"My eldest memories were in a hut. That's where we lived, my father, mother, sister, brother and myself. We were of...of the Hebrews, those who live in Raamses and serve the Egyptians as slaves. My father was Amram of the tribe of Levi, his wife Jocheved, my mother, and my sister Mirian and brother Aaron. I alone was given an Egyptian name: Moses, which means born from, for so it was told of me in the halls of the Pharaoh that I was born of the Nile gods.

"My mother told a different story. She said that on the night that I was born, the midwives Purah and Shiprah told her to hide her child, for they had been charged by the Pharaoh to kill all new-born male children of the Hebrews. But the midwives feared God and would not do so, and wise was the advice they gave to my mother. For when the midwives were found out, the Pharaoh, Amenemhet III, ordered his people to take the male children of the Hebrews by force and drown them in the Nile river. For three months, my mother said, she and my sister kept me hidden.

"Eventually, she said, I became too much to be hidden, and so she and my sister did make an ark of reeds, into which they put me as a young child and set me adrift upon the Nile..."

* * *

><p>She had done it so many times, it was almost routine. Would the gods listen for once? Her father, the Pharaoh of Egypt, refused to let his line end with him, and therefore forced his daughter to pray to the river gods to bring her a son. Every day after the Pharaoh would bring forth the morning, she and her maids would go down to the river-side and offer their prayers to the statue of Hapi that she might bestow life to the barren womb of the Pharaoh's daughter.<p>

This day was no different. The entourage made their way to the small shrine, built on the banks of the river, and there they made their pagan supplications to the goddess of fertility.

At last their prayers had ended, and the princess ordered her entourage to return to the palace. But, as she turned to make the sad return journey home, she thought she spied something hiding among the reeds in the river. With a command, one of her maids came and bowed before her mistress.

"Tell me, maid, what is that thing I see among the reeds?"

The maid looked as she was directed.

"Thy servant sees what she does not know."

"Then bring it hither that I may know what it is." she commanded.

The maid bowed her head and approached the river's edge. Surely it must be some kind of sacrilege, trespassing upon sacred waters. Besides that, she feared what could be hiding among the reeds. Crocodiles ate those foolish enough to enter their waters, and the hippo could gore one to death as easily as a bull. But she was the servant, and, obeying her mistress' orders, waded out into the river.

The princess was not concerned: after all, what cause did she have to be concerned? She was not going into the river. Besides, the priests told her that no crocodile could harm her, since she was the daughter of Sobek himself. And though Egyptian maids were expensive, they were not hard to replace.

It did not take the fearful maid long to see what it was, and she thanked the gods that it was not what her fears made it out to be.

The princess, watching where her maid disappeared to, saw her return with a small basket made of reeds.

"Is that it, Kiya? A basket?"

"That is all, my lady." the maid answered. She came to the edge of the shrine and attempted to throw the basket onto the alabaster landing, but it was heavier than she had presumed. She lifted it over her head and placed it on top of the landing first before climbing back onto the landing of the shrine and presenting the basket to her lady.

"Open it up." she demanded.

The maid unfastened the tight, reed bindings on the edge and slowly lifted the cover, fearing that asps might be found within. Fortunately, there was nothing harmful within; in fact, there was nothing within except for a sleeping infant.

"A child, my lady."

"I can see that!" snapped the princess. "But what shall we do with it?"

"My lady," a priestess of Hapi said to her aside. "See the pattern of the cloth in which the baby is wrapped? Surely this is a child of the Hebrews. My lady knows the mandate of thy father, the Pharaoh."

Before the princess could say another word, the child began to hear strange noises and let forth a wail of fear. It was not among the familiar voices it had known, and terror struck it's little heart.

The princess turned and saw the little thing crying, all alone in its basket and on the verge of being slain by her over-zealous priestess. Something clicked in the heart of the princess. She knelt down and picked the child up in her arms, holding him and trying to soothe his cries.

"My lady," the priestess insisted. "by your father's law, the child must die."

"Damn my father's law!" the princess said, choking back tears. "I shall not let this child die! Don't you see, priestess? This is an answer to my prayers! The gods have smiled upon my father and me and have given us this son to be our own! He shall be named Nilemoses, for from the river have I brought him forth!"

"My lady," the maid said. "Pardon me for speaking out of my place, but I feared it to be a greater dis-service to you if I should keep silent."

"What is it, maid?"

"My lady has not born a child, and therefore knows not how to raise a child. Permit me to find one to raise this child for you."

At this, a noise came from the reeds. Startled, the princess ordered one of her guards to seek it out. He came back with a young girl, merely a child, dressed in Hebrew clothes.

"Who are you, slave-girl?" the princess asked somewhat indignantly.

"I am your humble servant." the young girl said, bowing before the princess.

"Why are you not working?"

"I beg my mistress' pardon, but my mother, thy servant, is a nurse-maid, who has sent me to seek out one needing her services."

The princess suddenly payed closer attention to what this Hebrew girl was saying. It seemed like she could get what she wanted.

"Is she a wet-nurse?" she asked.

"My mother, thy servant, is indeed." the little girl responded.

"Well then, slave, bring your mother to me and I will pay her for the nursing of my son."

* * *

><p>"And so it was, good sheik, that my own mother did nurse me for wages from the princess of Egypt."<p>

"And on the heels of the decree of death upon Hebrew men-children from the Pharaoh, no less!" the old man laughed. "Indeed, the LORD works in mysterious ways. What else happened afterward?"

"Not much. I lived with my mother until I was weaned. She told me the truth about where I was from, and told me that one day I was to leave her forever and live with our masters the Egyptians. She also told me that they would try to teach me to pray to their gods and to become like them: she told me to always remember the God of our fathers and never forget that I was no true Egyptian, but a Hebrew the same as she, my father and my sister."

"What of your brother?"

"He was born but a few years after I was already a man in Egypt."

"A truly inspiring story, Moses. I am impressed. And now, if you will kindly listen, I shall weary your ears with a small tale, one of which I think you might be familiar with to a degree."

"I shall listen."

"This is the oldest tale told by my people. My father told it to me as his father told it to him, and so it went as far back as Ishmael, the father of my people, who heard the story from the very knee of Abraham himself. He also heard it from Terah and Heber, from hence your people take their name, who in turn was taught by Shem, who did hear it from Noah, who from the mouth of Lamech and Methuselah did hear all of this, who also did hear this word from Enoch and Jared, who heard it spoken to them from Seth, who heard the story from Adam, the first man created by God.

"'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.' The story always begins with this: the creation of the world! 'And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep.'"

As the sheik spoke, he got up and closed the screen of the tent, bringing darkness to their abode.

"'And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.'"

Moses then heard some scraping, after which the darkness of the tent was banished by a small glow from a lightened tinder in the sheik's hand.

"'And God said, "Let there be light", and there was light.' You may wonder why I present to you this lamp as example of the story. Well, so it has been told since as far as I can remember. 'And God saw the light, that it was good: and He divided the light - day - from the darkness - night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.'"

And with a breath, the lamp was extinguished.

Thusl did the sheik, Jethro of Midian, teach Moses the story of creation which he himself had learned from his mother and father, though long forgotten among the trials in Egypt. Those who may read this now might find this monotonous and boring, but they think so now out of luxury. So much do they owe to the lives of many martyrs forgotten! For, in the time before the martyrs, and before the people of Israel were given a nation, the story of creation was passed down, generation to generation, by word of mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>(And here is the second chapter. Not much stuttering from Moses as in the last one, but there will be a lot more later on.)<strong>

**(As much as I like _The Ten Commandments_, like with _Joshua King of Heaven_, I endeavor in this story to alienate myself from Hollywood's adaptions of the biblical account, so that my own imagination is allowed to roam free and create a story of my own. However, there is definite influence, both from that movie and very little from _Prince of Egypt_. I shall discuss that later in full as the story unfolds)**

**(One such alienation is my placing of the story in the 12th - 13th dynasties of Egypt, rather than the 18th - 19th [Ramoses' reign]. My reasons are 1] the Ipuwer Papyrus, 2] the Hyksos invasion and 3] the lack of Neferhotep's mummy. This is probably unique to my story, since most other interpretations make the Pharaoh of the Exodus Ramoses the Great.)**

**(Part 3 will be up a.s.a.p)**


	3. Fallen From Grace

**(AN: Here's the next chapter, with minimal editing. This was because the rough draft had a line almost verbatim from _The Ten Commandments_, which I decided to exorcise.)**

**(Now here we go with another big flash-back scene)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Fallen from Grace<strong>

So it happened that the well from whence the flocks of Midian drank ran dry, and they had need to relocate to greener pastures. Therefore did the women, Jethro and Moses take down their tents, load them upon the backs of the patriarch's camels and make their way from the steep hills and gullies of their former resting place. While they left, Moses took one last look at a lone palm tree standing near where the camp had been. Had it not been for that tree, he knew not if he would still be alive.

The journey was long and arduous, even for those accounted wealthy among the Bedouins. The tents they kept upon their camels; four camels they had, but only two tents. The other camel they laid with food and other supplies, while the women insisted that their father ride upon the fourth beast. The women kept order to the flock, which traveled with them on foot. Moses helped as he could, but the sheik asked that he stay at his side somewhat.

"Moses," he asked, after a long while of relative silence in the hot, dusty desert. "If it pleases you, might I tell you somewhat of the story of the Creation?"

"I give you my open ears, sheik." Moses said.

Jethro then looked up at the hills, stroking his beard and trying to recall when, as a youth, his father and told him the old tales of many years ago.

"Ah, yes!" he said. "Now I remember." He cleared his throat, and motioned for his daughter to join them. "Zipporah, yours is a better memory than my own. If I am amiss or forget some point of the story, will you please fill in the lack thereof?"

"Of course, father." said Zipporah, who smiled as she saw that Moses, whom she had called "Egyptian" look in her direction.

"Now, if I recall...there was a serpent." He patted the neck of his camel, who made a startling gurgle at the mention of a serpent. "Now this serpent was wiser than all the other animals the **LORD** God had created, and it lived in the tree that was in the midst of Eden."

"The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." Zipporah added.

"Yes, that was it. And one day, the woman left the side of the man and approached the tree. Now when she had approached it, the serpent asked her...'Has the **LORD** commanded that you not partake of any tree of the garden?'" The old sheik then went into a thoughtful silence, as he tried to remember the words.

"And the woman replied," Zipporah added. "'The **LORD** has given us to eat the fruit of every tree in the garden save for this one, which lies in the midst of the garden. For God has said "Thou shalt not eat or touch this tree or you shall die."'"

"But that was not what the **LORD** said, was it?" Moses asked.

"It was to an extent." Jethro said. "He said 'Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is in the midst of the garden, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day thou eatest thereof, thou wilt surely die.'"

"What happened next?" Moses asked.

"The serpent told the woman that she would not die if she ate the fruit, but would become like God, possessing knowledge of both good and evil. The serpent made it as if God kept this knowledge from the man and the woman on purpose."

"So did she eat of the tree?"

"Yes." Zipporah said, with eyes downcast.

"Well, it was pleasing to the eye and, according to the serpent, would make her wise." said Jethro. "So she ate from the tree and gave to the man to eat."

Moses noticed that Zipporah was not saying anything but kept her eyes down.

"Something wrong, my lady?" he asked.

"Why must it be that a woman is first to disobey the command of the **LORD**?" she asked.

"Ah, my daughter, but you are forgetting the other good women of our ancestry." the patriarch said. "Hagar, an Egyptian slave who was chosen by father Abraham to be the mother of his firstborn son. And even of this man's fathers' fathers: the noble Rebekah whose wise words sent her son Jakob away to safety in Haran to escape the snare of his brother Esau."

"Indeed, father." she said.

Moses then looked up to the sheik. "So what happened to the man and the woman?"

"Well, their eyes were opened." the sheik cryptically said.

"Meaning?"

"They saw that they were naked." Zipporah added.

"And they were ashamed, and even fearful when they heard the voice of the **LORD** calling to them." added the Patriarch. "So they tore off the leaves of figs and covered themselves. Of course, they could not hide from God and He found them out. And when He heard what they had done, He cursed the serpent to crawl on its belly and eat dust for the rest of its life. He then cursed the woman to..."

"But you left out the promise, father." Zipporah said.

"Oh?"

"Yes." she said, suddenly taking interest in the story. "After God cursed the serpent, He made a promise."

"What promise was that, my lady?" Moses asked.

"He promised that there would be hatred between the serpent and the woman, and between its offspring and hers. Lastly, He promised that the children of the woman would step on the serpent's head, though the serpent would bite their heel."

"What do you think it means?" Moses asked.

"Perhaps one day, that the children of Eve would one day destroy those who oppressed them and have corrupted the earth with evilness, but not after a long and hard struggle with much death and sorrow."

"Ah." Moses then turned to Jethro. "So what happened next?"

"God cursed the woman to be subservient to the man and to bear forth his children in pain and sorrow. And He cursed the man to hard labor working in the land, and gave him to eat of the herb of the field like an animal."

"And that was all?"

"No, they had brought evil into the world." Jethro said. "By eating of the Forbidden Fruit, they had sinned against God and therefore had brought forth sin. Because sin came into the world, they could no longer inhabit the Garden of Eden. So the **LORD** gave them clothing made of animal skin and sent them out of the Garden of Eden, and had an angel with a flaming sword to bar the entrance to the garden."

"And is the garden still there to this day?"

"Oh, no. This was long before the Great Flood. But, if I'm not mistaken, there was an ancient story told of Methuselah the Old, the grand-sire of Noah. In the last years of his life, which ended before the Great Flood, he laid himself down to rest before the garden. Whatever happened, no one knows. They said he saw his father Enoch again before he died, but if that is true, no man truly knows. Even if he did not die then, the Great Flood ended his life in the end.

"Now may I ask you once again what drove you to leave the land of Egypt?" he asked.

The one called Moses turned his gaze to the sand and rocks upon which he trod.

"Your pardon, my lord, but I have tried to forget that day as much as I can." he said. "For your wish, I shall give you that which you desire.

"I spent the better part of my life in the palace, training to become a prince of Egypt. All the while the priests taught me of the Pharaohs, the sons of the gods, while all along I kept the truth in my heart. I would not bow down to the images of Ra or Osiris, despite the admonition of the priests that all I did would meet with defeat if I did not so. Strangely enough, what I did in those many years prospered, in spite of the threats of their false gods."

"But on that day..."

* * *

><p>"Mner, prepare my chariot!"<p>

"Yes, my lord!"

The prince stood out upon the balcony of his estate, waiting for his servants to finish the preparations. This was his daily routine, to oversee the treatment of the slaves. Though he had been told by both the Pharaoh, his adopted mother, and those with whom he socialized in the palace at Memphis, that there were overseers for this task, he insisted that he go out personally. At last, the head of the servants, Mner, returned.

"Why is it taking so long? This is my routine, it should be ready for me immediately." So said the prince as he walked down the stairs to the courtyard, the chief servant at his heels.

"No, disrespect, my prince, but the High Priest Onem-way insists..."

"What does he insist?"

"That the prince cease from such actions." said an old voice. Turning, the prince saw the elder prince of Osiris approach him. "You have neglected the gods for too long, prince. They brought you from the Nile, they gave you life, yet you turn your backs on them?"

"The gods have many in Egypt praying to them," Moses reasoned. "Offering them thanks for all they have given them. What is it if one voice remains silent?"

"Such blasphemy!"

"I am the prince, yet you insist that I spend my days in supplication to the gods rather than overseeing the work of my father?"

"The Hebrew slaves are not of your concern, my prince."

"They're humans, aren't they? They should be treated well, if nothing more than to make strong workers who will build many mighty palaces and treasure cities for the Pharaoh."

"Slaves need only serve." Onem-way stated angrily.

"My dear Onem-way," the prince said, smiling as he saw his chariot prepared for him and stepped into the basket. "Slaves cannot serve if they are starved." He urged the horses on and his chariot took off, leaving a dumb-founded High Priest behind in the dust.

"Insult not the gods, Prince Moses, or you shall feel their wrath!" shouted the High Priest.

* * *

><p>The prince rode alone, with no driver or even a guard. Though his foster-mother, Queen Sobeknefru, told him that it was always safe to take along at least one guard, Moses felt that he needed none. To bring a guard meant that he feared for his life and did not trust the Hebrew slaves, and he had nothing to fear from his own people. Besides, he himself was a forty-year-old strong prince of Egypt, skilled in weapons and self-defense. Should the need arrive to defend himself, he was more than capable of doing so himself without the assistance of a guard.<p>

But it was what he saw that made him quiver. In the palace, the slaves were never mentioned. In fact, to them, the gods made their cities for them. But down here, on the ground level, the truth came out. The cities of Egypt were made of brick and blood. In the flood-plains, men were busy gleaning wheat. This would then be born to the granaries, dug during the time of Sesostris I. Here the wheat and chaff would be separated, the grain deposited into the granaries and the straw taken away to the working site.

More like death-pits were the mud-pits of Egypt. Here, upon the infertile red-banks of the Nile, shallow pits were dug into which was poured water and straw, and so the slaves were put to work mixing them for the mud-bricks which built up the structures of Egypt. Tons of mud were then moved to the brick-makers, who molded the new-bricks and let them bake in the sun. In great-piles then were they deposited to the building sites of the pyramids and _mastabas_.

Nor did it stop there. Far south in Upper Egypt, and even as far East as Migdol, miners carved stone blocks many tons in weight and shipped these down the river. These also, moved by the might of the slaves - which many today still marvel at and think that some force neither human nor divine guided the hand of the Egyptians in the moving thereof - these blocks built the foundations of Egypt. Hebrew children were put to work as soon as they could stand. They worked on as long as there was daylight, and returned to their homes at dusk or when their masters ordered them to do so. Thus they worked on and on, for years without count, until at last they ended their lives and were buried within the walls of the buildings they had worked their lives to create.

Always watchful of their work were task-masters: Egyptians paid to oversee the work of the slaves. With them they carried the whip, which they would bring down upon the backs of those they saw as idle or lagging in their work. But, as is the way with men and the power given them, it got to the heads of some of the overseers, and they became like scorpions in the eyes of the Hebrews, lashing out without warning and without mercy.

It just so happened that Moses happened to see such a scorpion.

* * *

><p>"Pick it up!" shouted the task-master to the slave.<p>

Moses pulled the chariot to a stop. He saw a big overseer, standing over what appeared to be nothing more than a lad. The lad had behind him a sledge upon which were a pile of mud-bricks, baked hard in the day's sun.

"I can't!" the lad responded. "My brother, he should be here to help me. Go find him and bring him back here to..."

The whip went down upon the lad's back, turning the last few words into a cry of pain.

"Don't you take that voice with me, you cur!" the overseer then picked the lad up by his hair and brought his face within an inch of his own. "Brother or not, you're going to move this brick-sledge to the building site if I have to whip the skin off your bones!"

"I can't," the boy said. "I didn't even get to eat this morning, I have no strength..."

"Not my concern, whelp!" the overseer shouted, slapping the lad hard across the face.

"Please, I can't go on!"

"By the gods, you _will_ go on!" the overseer then laid into the boy, thrashing at his back like a hyena upon a corpse. The prince could not stand for this brutality. He dismounted the chariot.

"Halt there!" he cried out.

"I have this rat under control!" the overseer, thinking it was one of his fellows, shouted back without even looking. He lashed at the boy's back once again, now bleeding. "Get up, or its the lime pits for you!"

"God of Abraham, please help me!" cried the lad.

"God?" the overseer laughed. "No God will save you from my wrath, you little monkey!"

He smote the lad with his fist, sending blood and a tooth into the sad.

"Ha! Where is your God now?" laughed the overseer.

Suddenly, strong hands seized him from behind. An arm reached around his throat and held him in a tight choke-hold.

"Get off me or I'll kill you too, Hebrew dog!" grunted the overseer.

The overseer smote the face with the only had he had free. A grunt of anger came from the face, which sent out a second hand reached for the overseer's whip. Instead, it rested upon something coarse and hard. Its fingers gripping around it, the strong hand brought the hard thing down upon the overseer's head, sending him crumbling to the ground.

The prince, cooling down from his rage at hearing the overseer blaspheme his God, suddenly realized that what was in his hand was a mud-brick from the boy's sledge.

"Get up," he ordered the overseer.

But the body did not move.

Throwing the brick down, the prince knelt over the body and turned it over, only to find that the face was unnaturally cold. There was no movement on the body at all. He was dead. The prince became suddenly nervous. Where was the boy? He couldn't see him anywhere. In fact, there wasn't anyone about for quite some ways. Surely they didn't hear about it. But he had to do something about the body. Oh, for sure something bad was going to happen when they found the body was missing. But it didn't matter, he was out of the way and wasn't hurting or blaspheming anymore.

* * *

><p>Routine.<p>

The prince had completely forgotten the events of the past week or so, and had gone back to his regular routine. This following week, he would do as he had always done: go out among the Hebrew slaves and make sure they were being treated well. He tried not to make eye contact with anyone, though, as an Egyptian, all the slaves eyed him with suspicion, hatred and anger. The prince dismounted at what appeared to be the overseer's tent. Here the Overseer of Construction foresaw the work along with one of the Hebrew Overseers. These men, chosen from Moses' own tribe of Levi, reported the needs and condition of the people to the Egyptian Overseer. Whether or not those needs were fulfilled was another story, but the Hebrews felt like their needs at least were spoken before the court of their masters.

"My prince!" the Overseer of Construction said, noticing Moses arrive. "The gods favor our work with much increase."

Moses, however, turned to the Hebrew Overseer. "And how are the workers?"

"Ever-working hard to fulfill the desires of their masters, only by the grace of the God of our Fathers." was his reply. Moses ignored a chuckle from the Egyptian Overseer and approached the old Hebrew closer, who shirked and lowered his head.

"Tell me the truth."

Fearfully, the old man spoke, and in hushed tones.

"We fear the task-masters more than the Pharaoh, and we have negligent water and food. Some of us are even taken into the work-fields without any meal, and therefore faint from exhaustion. Is there anything you can do for us?"

"I'll do what I can." Moses said, and started back to his chariot.

"Oh, also," the old man walked closer to him and whispered. "There's a quarrel between two young men near the brick-layer's post. I plead with you to see to it before the task-masters do them any harm."

"I will look into it, sir."

"God's blessing be upon you." the old man said with half a smile on his face.

Moses nodded and returned to his chariot, rode off towards the brick-layer's post and, when he was sure no Egyptians were about, whispered: "And to you."

* * *

><p>"Get off me, Dathan!" shouted the larger of the two young lads.<p>

"He threatened to kill me!" the younger one shouted.

"So what? They'd kill us all if we couldn't make their cities for them!"

"You should have been there, like you promised!"

"The task-master thought I was shirking duties, so he punished me. You don't know..."

"No, Abiram, _you_ don't know what it's like, out here with all those scorpion-guards at our backs!"

"Stop this!" a voice shouted. The two brothers pushed each other away and saw the speaker.

"If a house divided cannot stand, then quarreling workers cannot work," said the prince. "Why are you not working together?"

"Stay out of this!" shouted the older one named Abiram. "This isn't your concern, Egyptian."

"Yeah, who made you a prince and judge over us?" spat Dathan cockily.

The prince turned to the young lad and walked towards him. "You show no respect to your master, son."

"Don't call me son, you uncircumcised pig!" the younger one shouted. His brother looked nervous, and was whispering for the younger one to run or at least stop talking. Moses continued looking down at the lad before him. He looked familiar...

"What? You're gonna kill me like you killed the Egyptian a few days ago?"

A spear went through Moses' heart when he heard those words. Not a real one of steel or stone, but a sharp pain as if one had pierced him. His actions had found him out. He was a fool to think that he had been so clever that the death had gone unnoticed. Now he was certain that Onem-way would turn the Pharaoh, his mother, against him. He knew the High Priest had it in for him since he had come to the palace and refused to bow down to their gods. Now he had a clear and present reason to have Moses executed for murder. But what hurt even more was that, he felt, that the Hebrews would have seen his actions as helpful and perhaps the sign of him being the one to help them in their travails. Instead, they feared and hated him just the same: there would be no protection from the Pharaoh's wrath from them.

He couldn't stay. He knew that now. Not at this place, not in Goshen, not even in Egypt altogether. He had to get away.

* * *

><p>"And so you left, as did Cain from the face of his parents." said the Patriarch.<p>

"What do you mean?" asked Moses.

"The story does not end with the man and the woman being cast out of paradise. The man, called Adam, called his wife Eve, and she gave birth to two sons: Cain and Abel. Cain helped his father in the fields and his brother Abel tended the livestock. Every one day out of seven, Adam would take his wife and his sons to the gate of Eden and offer a sacrifice to God."

"Why?"

"Because, it showed the sincerity of the sorrow for their sin." Zipporah stated. "As you've become well aware, Egyptian, our livestock are more important to us than rivers of gold and mountains of jewels. To sacrifice what is important to us, what is most precious in our sight, shows our obedience to God, and our love of Him over ourselves."

"I see," Moses said. He then turned to Jethro. "Please, go on with your story."

"So it was that Cain and Abel sacrificed before the **LORD**. Cain brought forth fruit and herbs from the fields, but Abel brought forth the best and purest lamb of his herd. Well, because Abel gave up the best of what he had to the **LORD**, God blessed his offering. But Cain's was not so, for he had kept the best for himself and given what was left to the** LORD**. But God refused to respect his offering, and so Cain became furious and one day he rose up against his brother and killed him."

Moses started to feel an uneasiness in his stomach.

"Now, the **LORD** shortly thereafter spoke to Cain and said 'Where is your brother Abel?' and Cain said 'Am I my brother's keeper?' But the LORD knew what had happened, and he cursed Cain for his deeds, making him a wanderer to whom the Earth would not give up its fruit when he tilled it. And Cain went out from the presence of the **LORD** and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden."

Moses kept his eyes turned to the ground, and said nothing more.

"Are you alright?" asked Zipporah. He said nothing, but simply continued to look to the ground. Then a whisper half-escaped his lips.

"Be sure your sins will find you out."

* * *

><p><strong>(If you have a keen eye for literary themes and patterns, try to see which patternsthemes I'm developing in this story. I have several, and I'm rather proud to say that I've thought well about them while writing each chapter, sometimes going out of my way to make things fit that pattern [which will be edited once you see the final product])**

**(Need to re-write the next chapter in full, since I'm not going to make a repetition of what happened in the previous chapter. However, I will have some of the flash-backs, since those are essential.)**


	4. God's Chosen Man

**(AN: Thank you for the review. My sincere apologies for the lack of updating. I have been doing hard-core work on my _Soul Calibur_ fan-fiction, and the first re-draft of this was lost when my computer overheated and crashed. Now here it is again, with another flash-back scene.)**

* * *

><p><strong>God's Chosen Man<strong>

Zipporah did not like the looks of this situation.

It was nightfall, and she was going to meet with Moses in his tent with no one else there. If word of this spread, it could be misconstrued and lead to both of them being stoned to death. But she did not wish to lie with him, though she had grown somewhat fond of the tall, strong Hebrew.

It was not for love that she would enter his tent, but for mercy.

Ever since her father told him the story of Cain, Moses had become quiet and seclusive. She felt sorry for him, and would do whatever she could to learn what was in his mind and heart.

As she opened the curtains, he stirred from where he lay.

"You should not have c-c-come here." Moses said, seeing Jethro's daughter standing before him.

"I wanted to speak with you in private." She knelt down at his side. "You have not spoken to any of us since my father told you the story of Cain."

Moses threw his face into his hand. "Why should I? I have done the sin of C-Cain, and like him, I am b-banished from my home."

"Even when we sin, God shows us mercy." she said. "He could have slain Adam and Eve when they sinned, but he let them live. Even when Cain slew his brother Abel, he feared that he would also die. But God set his mark upon Cain, so that Cain should be avenged sevenfold should any kill him."

"You have no idea how I've f-felt, all these years." Moses returned. "When I wandered in the desert after fleeing from Egypt, I started to doubt even my faith. How could I believe that G-God even existed when He refused to help His Chosen p-p-p-people out of bondage?"

She placed her hand upon his head and raised his face out of his hands and into his face.

"You sound like Job, Moses."

"Who?"

"Job, the prince of Uz. You never heard the story?"

Moses shook his head.

"In the time before the flood, there was a prince of Uz named Job. He had many thousands of sheep, cattle, donkeys and camels. He also had a beautiful wife and many sons and daughters, and many servants. He was a just man who walked with God and prayed and made sacrifices all the time for even the sins of his children.

"But then, one day..."

* * *

><p>No being could look upon God Almighty and live. Not even the angels were allowed to do so. There was, however, one who was permitted to stand in the presence of God, have His Word revealed unto him and then reveal that Word spoken to the angels.<p>

That was Michael, the Archangel, Commander of the Armies of Heaven, the Supreme Advocate for Mankind, The Great Prince of Heaven. None others had this great, exalted position. Not only could no one look upon God and live, but they could not bear to hear His voice and so Michael acted as a spokesman and majordomo for the Supreme **LORD** of Heaven.

But there was one who wanted that job for himself. One whose pride and presumption made reason that _**he**_ belonged as the second-in-command, that he receive unique treatment and exaltation above all others and become the one to speak God's Word before all creation.

That one was seated next to Michael outside the Gates of Heaven.

Old friends, now enemies.

"Why are you here?" Michael asked. "Where have you come from?"

"Don't you know?" queried Lucifer. "Hasn't the Almighty revealed it to you?"

"I want to hear what you have to say in your own words, old friend."

"My business is with the Almighty, not with a mouth-piece."

"You want to speak to God? Then talk to me."

"You aren't God! I deserve nothing less than to speak to God face-to-face, to hear His Words in my ears!"

"Still haven't changed, have you?" Michael returned. "But even if I weren't, you know as well as I do that God is everywhere: He sees you now and listens to what you have to say."

"Big brother's always watching His toys."

"A loving Father watches over His children!"

"They wouldn't take kindly to being watched, you know, even by a 'loving father'," Satan sneered.

"So you've been among mankind?" Michael asked.

"Where else do you think I was?" Satan retorted. "I've been walking across the earth, over-viewing my subjects."

"Have you seen my servant Job?" asked Michael with a smile. "He is a just man, who abhors evil and embraces the good."

A hideous chuckle escaped the throat of the evil one.

"Right." he mocked.

He stepped up very close to Michael. "Anyone would in his position."

Only Michael could endure being this close, hearing that sickening laugh, and not feel nauseous.

"Oh, like You don't know!" Satan drew back, all twelve black-feather wings standing out.

In the end, even Satan spoke to Michael as if he were speaking to God.

After all, if He were omnipotent, He would hear what his greatest servant had to say.

His ex-greatest servant.

"You've only surrounded his household with Your angels, and placed Your blessing upon all that he has, so that it thrives no matter what! See? He only loves You because of what you've given him. Take it all away..." That deceptively innocent smile then crept onto the deceiver's face, making a hideous vision of unclean beauty. "...and he will curse You to Your face."

"He loves Almighty more than that, I can assure you." Michael said.

"Prove it."

"No..._you_ prove it."

A shocked look came to the evil one's face.

"Take from him whatever you wish, but don't hurt a hair on his head."

Once again the hideous laugh rose in mockery of the forces of Heaven.

* * *

><p>"G-God let the evil one do as he wished?"<p>

"Indeed. Almost immediately, Job lost everything. His cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his camels and his children: all in one day. But he did not lose faith in God, for said he 'The **LORD** giveth and the **LORD** taketh away.'"

"Only because he was alive and well did he say that." Moses drearily added.

"Alive, yes. Well, perhaps not..."

"What do you mean?" Moses asked. "Did not G-God tell the evil one not to h-h-harm a hair on his head?"

"Yes He did," answered Zipporah. "But the evil one returned to the gathering of the Almighty..."

* * *

><p>"I see from your countenance that I was right."<p>

Michael and Satan stood alone once more on the outside of the walls of Heaven. All the angels of glory stood upon the walls, watching with great anticipation at what was going on with the two heroes.

Lucifer stood alone.

"Even when he has lost all that he has, Job's devotion to the Almighty remains still."

"You don't know these mortals like I do, You've never been among them."

"Tell me, then."

"I have seen the lows they sink to. They'd do anything to save their own wretched skins. Even though they know that death is inevitable and a sweet release from the troubles of their world, they'd give all they have just to prolong their miserable existence for a few short days. But what happens when even that existence is so painful that they'd rather die than continue it?"

"You wish to make Job's life a burden unto himself?"

"Only then will he truly curse You unto your very face, Great One."

The eyes of Michael darkened with sadness, and He turned His face away.

"Do what you wish unto the man, but he shall not die by your hand."

* * *

><p>"For your own good, give it up!"<p>

"_No!_"

"Where has your good-behavior and integrity gotten you, my love?"

"Please, speak no more!"

"Look at you, bald and covered in sores, writhing in ashes and cutting yourself with potshards. To think you were once a prince!"

"No, no, please! My life is misery enough!"

"Then end it! You trusted in God, and He brought you lower than the ashes. You sacrificed to Him, and He took our sons from us! You made Him first, and He took all that was yours! Even after that you praised His name, and now look what He did to you! Curse His name and die in peace, saving whatever dignity you have left."

"Foolishness! All foolishness! Shall we not expect from the **LORD** good things and not bad things?"

The wife, angered and frustrated, left him to his friends.

"Oh, damn the day that I was born and let the sun be blotted out upon the day wherein it was said 'A son is born.' At least then, I should have never been born and been at peace with kings and counselors who built desolate places for themselves. Why do I live on if just for pain and hardship?"

"Does a fig tree bring forth thorns? You are suffering from the iniquities of your past" spake his first friend. "Come to the **LORD** in sackcloth and ashes and beg for His forgiveness."

"But I have done no wrong, and though He slay me, yet shall I serve Him."

"You speak empty words, my friend." spake another. "Is the Justice of God twisted? Why would He let you suffer if you were truly blameless?"

"How can one be truly good in the sight of the **LORD**? What wrong have I done?"

"Ah, my friend. You are mistaken." spoke a third. "God exacts of you far less than what you deserve. Repent, for you have sinned, and only then can you possibly be forgiven."

"What sin have I done? I have done none, but yet I am punished. Oh, **LORD**, please let me plead my innocence."

But as these four went about, a fourth one approached.

"Job, I could not hold my silence any longer. Your statement that you have done no sin and that there is no reason for your punishment is an affront to the greatness of the One you believe to have worshiped. How dare you even suppose that you have any kind of moral authority greater than God's that you could ever bring your case before Him as mortals do." Then turned he to the others. "And you, speak no more. The **LORD** is strong, but just. Though I feel that perhaps you err in saying that God is limited to only giving good to the good-doers and wrong to the wrong-doers," He turned to Job. "I doubt not that, though you are righteous, my friend Job, you are not perfect."

Onward and onward they spoke, discussing the justice of God and His treatment of their friend Job.

* * *

><p>"...and then, God appears."<p>

"H...He does?" asked Moses.

"He tells Job that he has no right to be insinuating that God should be accountable for Job's misfortune. He shows Job all the wonders He has created and tells Him that His friends must repent for their errors."

Moses looked down sorrowfully.

"But the **LORD** was merciful." said Zipporah, raising his face up. "He blessed Job with good health and many times more children and possessions than he had before as well as seeing his grandchildren unto the fourth generation."

Moses shook his head.

"I still d-do not understand."

"Neither did I," she said. "One day you will, as did Jacob the father of your people."

"Who?"

"Many years ago, after the Great Flood, the people were divided. But Abraham became the Father of many Nations, including my father's people. His second son was Isaac, the father of your father's people. He had two sons, Jacob and Esau. Esau was the eldest, and a hunter, and Jacob was a shepherd. Jacob was also cast out from among his father's people, but the **LORD** continued to love him."

"How? How d-did he know that he wasn't rejected as Job had been?"

"One night, while running from his brother Esau, Jacob was in the wilderness. And he was so tired that he fell asleep upon the stones. That night he had a dream, wherein he saw angels walking up and down upon a great ladder that reached from Heaven to Earth. Jacob made the spot holy and therefore is the name of that place called Bethel in Canaan."

"Is that all?"

"Hardly, Moses. When he returned many years later to meet with his brother Esau, he was praying in the wilderness when someone accosted him. He wrestled with the foe until dawn, and the foe put out Jacob's thigh with his hand, and therefore Jacob knew he wrestled with an angel and refused to let him go until he had been blessed. And so Jacob was called Israel, because as a prince he had wrestled with God and man and had prevailed."

She looked him in the eyes.

"So you see, even in our darkest hours, God is still there."

* * *

><p><strong>(These flash-backs usually have some importance, so don't worry.)<strong>

**(And it never said that Job was based in the pre-Flood Earth, that is just artistic license on my part to make it seem more epic. Some do believe such, but I'm not sure if it's indisputable.)**

**(Next chapter will be posted soon!)**


	5. The Burning Bush

**(AN: I can't believe I did this! I erased this chapter _and_ deleted it from ff Doc Manager, so now I had to re-write and re-work it all from the beginning.)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Burning Bush<strong>

In the time before great nations rose up out of the sands to rule over the people, merchants were some of the wealthiest people in the land. They brought much-needed goods, as well as commodities and vital information from the far corners of the earth. To the desert Bedouins, a merchant's caravan was more than just a chance to get something of some value: it was as good as a town crier. One from which goods could be directly purchased.

Jethro was busy dealing with one of the leaders of the merchants, while the women tended the sheep. Moses was with him, seeing how things were done. One of the traders was watching him and approached him as he walked a little away from Jethro's side.

"Well met, Egyptian." the merchant said.

"You know I am f-from Egypt?" Moses asked. He was a little worried.

"Of course," the merchant answered. "Your accent gives it away. But you need have no fear of me: I am a Syrian."

Why did he have to be afraid, Moses wondered.

"C-Can you tell me of any news from Egypt?"

"The old sun has set upon the Pharaoh and a new dynasty has arisen." the Syrian trader began. "I fear it might be short-lived, what with invaders from the East. These Asiatics, like _djinn_ they are, riding upon horse-drawn wains as swift as the wind! Meanwhile, Egypt prospers, thanks to the new Pharaoh."

"What h-has he done?"

"He is a proud warrior, but a stern leader, so they say. They say that he has an army of Asiatics himself, working as his slaves."

So his people are still in bondage.

"The gods alone pity them," the Syrian continued. "For certainly the Pharaoh does not. He makes their lives hard, increasing their burdens. They say that he oppresses these Asiatics more than his ancestors before him. Every day, the valleys are filled with these slaves crying out to their nameless God for deliverance."

Moses nodded in recognition and then departed.

He did not notice Jethro walking after him.

"My son," the old sheik said. "You left rather suddenly. Is all well?"

"No, my lord." Moses returned. "All is n-n-not well." He then relayed to Jethro all that he had heard from the Syrian merchant.

"You fear for the welfare of your people, Moses." Jethro returned. "It is well, for I have heard the rumors out of Egypt as well."

"Why, Jethro?" Moses asked. "Why does God d-d-do nothing to save my people from the b-bondage of Egypt?"

"The **LORD** promised to give His people the land of Canaan," Jethro began. "And what God promises, we know He will fulfill. Do you remember the story of the Three Angels I told you about so many years ago when we first met?"

Moses nodded.

"That promise indeed came true," Jethro said with a smile. "You, Moses, are proof of its fulfillment. For you are descended from Levi the son of Jacob, who was the youngest son of Isaac, the son of the Promise of the **LORD**. Your very existence proves that God does fulfill the promises He made to His people, to Abraham.

"In fact," he continued. "If I am not mistaken, the **LORD** told Abraham of the bondage of your people before their time. That night up on the mountain, when the birds tried to devour Abraham's sacrifice, the **LORD** said to him: 'Know surely that your people will be strangers in a strange land, and shall serve the people of that land and be afflicted by them for four hundred years. And I will judge that nation and afterwards shall they come out...with _great_ substance.'

"So, you see, Moses, there is hope for your people still."

* * *

><p>Hope.<p>

The word had begun to grow dim for Moses over the next several decades. Though he had found some joy in life when Jethro gave his daughter Zipporah to be his wife, and further when they had not one but two sons - Gershom and Eliezer - Moses still felt empty inside. He knew that somewhere out beyond the desert to the West lay Egypt. Therein his people remained in bondage while he lived at relative peace in the wilderness.

He had not been idle these many years. He tended Jethro's flock, and furthermore learned the whole story from Jethro and his daughters. The stories of Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel, Father Abraham and his children as well as Joseph in Egypt he learned, as well as the entire tale of Job the Patient. Such stories he wrote down and kept with him and would read them to his children. Though, partially, he hoped beyond hope to share these with his people. If they had indeed been in bondage for four hundred years, then the tales might have already been forgotten. If so, then the stories he learned at the knee of Jethro of Midian should need be brought forth and told to all the people once more.

But that was many years ago. He was now twice the age he had been when he stumbled upon the well of Midian and drove off the Amalekite shepherds for the daughters of Jethro. He was an old man, and his children were already grown. His beloved Zipporah, though sixty years of age, still held something of her youthful beauty. But he had changed greatly. Gone was any semblance of an Egyptian. He had fully left that life aside.

So it was that one day he found himself tending the sheep upon the slopes of a mountain somewhere in western Arabia. It was very peaceful, just him and the sheep for as far as the eye could see. The tents were on the other side of the plateau, for here, at the base of this great mountain, there was a great plateau, a plain large enough for a great host to encamp here easily for many days. There was scarce grass, but enough for the sheep to feed upon. There were other slopes farther out and, with the exception of a constant water supply, the place seemed an ideal place for a second camp-site. But it was the lack of water, the most precious element in the desert, that made it impossible to maintain even a small army here for more than a week or so.

_Thank He-Who-Has-No-Name that they're just grazing for the day,_ thought Moses.

* * *

><p>Moses looked towards the mountain and saw a flash of light upon the eastern slope. Though he knew better than to leave the sheep shepherd-less, he was oddly drawn to see what that light meant. After all, light usually meant fire and fire meant that there were others about. Even if it were such an absurdity to be lighting fires in the middle of the day, in the heat of the desert no less, that meant that someone was there. Moses knew that other people might mean danger for his flock. Having been a vagabond in the wilderness before, he knew exactly what kind of temptation it was for a starving wanderer to think of slaying at least one unlucky kid or sheep from a shepherd's flock.<p>

With sure footing and quick steps, Moses bounded up the rocky flanks of the mountain and approached the eastern side. Stopping at the mouth of a cave for rest, he took another look at where the flash had come from.

About twenty feet or more up the mountain he saw the flash of light clearly. It definitely was fire. Picking up his staff and hoping that whoever was there hadn't tried to steal from the flock already, Moses climbed the next few steps almost on his hands and knees. Shock, relief and awe struck him upon reaching his destination: a narrow path led into the mountain-side, and it was from the end of that path that the source of the flashes of light came.

A burning bush.

Relieved he was that there was nobody around, but shocked and awed was he to see this great sight. It couldn't be, though, he told himself. He'd seen brush-fires before in Egypt or upon the deserts. They would devour small bushes like this in a matter of minutes, and it must have taken him ten minutes to reach this spot from where the flock was located. But here the bush stood, completely covered in devouring fire and yet not a single leaf was singed, not even blackened were the branches. Here was a bush that was on fire and yet did not burn.

_I know the sheep are my first priority,_ mused Moses, _but I think I shall turn aside and see this great sight._

Slowly, with his staff in his hand, Moses made his way down the narrow path. The sound of the fire crackled loudly in his ears, as if it were all around him. Wind blew softly upon the mountain-side, and his foot-steps were pounding in his ears. He was so close, not but ten Egyptian cubits away from the bush.

"_Moses..._"

He stopped, half-thinking that he was being ambushed. Turning around, and to both sides of the path, he saw nothing and heard nothing but the wind and flames. He couldn't have heard anything, so he continued walking...

"_Moses..._"

Again, but this time louder. There was no one in plain sight, but he could have sworn he heard a voice. Taking another step, he turned his attention once more to...

"**_Moses..._**"

Three times meant something. He couldn't be hearing it in his head, maybe it was real. Perhaps he should say something?

"Here am I." he said slowly.

"_Stop, and draw no closer._" the voice said. Moses knew he'd learn where it was coming from, and turned to face where he could hear the voice the loudest.

It was coming from the bush.

"_Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground._"

Kneeling down, keeping his eyes upon the burning bush, Moses carefully removed first the left then the right sandal and let them be.

"_**I AM** the God of thy fathers: the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob._"

Moses threw his face as far into the dust as he could. Here He was, standing before the being who had appeared before all the people in all the old stories, now shown to be even more than truth. Here was the revelation of the God of his fathers, as was to Jacob in the wilderness. Here He was, manifest in this burning bush and speaking directly to him. Immediately in his mind came the events of that day, and he knew that the Egyptian task-master, whom he'd left buried in the sand, could be clearly seen to Him as Adam and Eve had been when they hid themselves from Him.

He knew not what would happen next. Would the **LORD** strike him down for committing murder? Would He send him on some message of doom, as He had done to Noah, or tell him that his place would be destroyed, as He had done with Lot?

"_Fear not, Moses. I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry by reason of their task-masters, for I know their sorrows; and **I AM** come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them into a good land, a land flowing with milk and honey._"

_So God had not forgotten his people,_ Moses thought. He felt ashamed for ever thinking He had.

"_Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt._"

Me? The lowest of the low, a humble shepherd, a renegade from the house of Pharaoh. I can't even speak clearly, or with the speed of any eloquent priest of the Egyptians.

Thinking back to the beginning, all of those who had ever served Him - Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Joseph - were great men. Noah had great faith to endure over one-hundred and twenty-years of ridicule and mockery while building an ark in the middle of the desert when no floods had ever existed in order to save all life on Earth. Abraham was a great sheik, the grand-sire of the same stock from whence Jethro came from, and a lord and prince among his people, commanding great respect and having much wealth. Jacob may have been the second-favored son, but he was chosen by the **LORD** from before his birth to be greater than his brother and was indeed a shrewd man who could out-talk even his miserly uncle. Joseph had great obedience, even when faced with the (very) beautiful women of Egypt, including the wife of Captain Potiphar, and endured years in prison while still thriving.

Here were these great men, who were used by God for great deeds, and here he was, nothing, being approached by God Himself and charged with a task that only a god could do.

"W-Who am I, **L-LORD,** that you should s-send me to Pharaoh to bring your p-people out of Eg-gypt?"

"_Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a sign unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve Me upon this mountain._"

"When I t-tell your people 'The G-God of their fathers has sent m-me to them', they will ask 'W-What is His name' and what shall I s-say to them?"

"_**I AM THAT I AM!** Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: '**YHWH - I AM** - has sent me unto you. This is My name forever, My memorial to all generations.' Go now unto My people, and bring together the elders and tell them that the God of their fathers has sent you unto them to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey. They will listen, and when they do, then shalt thou appear before Pharaoh and tell him 'Thus saith the **LORD**, God of Israel, "Let My people go, that they may sacrifice unto Me for three days in the wilderness."_'

"_But I know of a surety that Pharaoh shall not let you out, not even by a great hand. Therefore I shall stretch out My Hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I shall do in the midst thereof: and after that, he will let you go. And as I promised unto Abraham, I shall give your people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, that you shall not go forth empty-handed._"

"But, **LORD**, what if the p-people and the elders say 'The G-God of our fathers has not s-sent him'?"

"_What is that in your hand?_"

"Uh, a rod?" Moses didn't even notice he had forgot to place his rod somewhere and it was still in his hand as he knelt before the bush.

"_Cast it upon the ground_."

His hand released its grip upon the staff, and he immediately threw himself back almost to the entrance of the path. Where his staff had been, there now coiled a venomous serpent, its forked tongue and hissing issuing from behind its mouth. He wondered at how so hideous a creature could have ever convinced Adam and Eve to eat of the Forbidden Fruit.

"_Now...pick it up by the tail._"

Immediately Moses hesitated. One think he learned of even in Egypt was that the head was the most vulnerable spot for the snake. In the desert, Zipporah had taught him that, if he ever encountered a serpent, to step upon its head. Taking it from behind was surely a death-sentence.

"_Pick it up by the tail._" He insisted.

Eager to please God, Moses crept slowly towards the serpent. Then, with his eyes closed and preparing himself for the sting of the serpent's fangs, he reached out and grasped upon the cold, scaly tail. But no sting came, and he could not feel the snake moving within his hand. Daring to open one eye, he saw that what he held instead was the end of a wooden staff: in fact, there was no serpent at all, just his staff. Though nervous, he took the staff back into his hand and walked back to where his shoes lay.

"_Now, put your left hand into your robe._"

This was certainly easier than before, and Moses quickly put it in as he was instructed. But something wasn't right, because once his hand went in, he felt it no more. Carefully he removed it and almost fell to tears at what he saw. Not a hand, but a leprous white claw there was before him, with skin rotting and frayed and two nails having fallen off.

"_Put your left hand into your robe again._"

Once again, the feeling of dread entered upon him. He wanted nothing more than to hack his left hand off at the wrist, for he knew all about leprosy. Much better it was to be dead than to be a leper, for one was free of pain but their skin rotted from the outside inward, until they were completely consumed by it and died a most horrifying and gruesome death. Furthermore, leprosy was the fastest spreading plague; even standing next to and breathing the air of an infected one was enough to spread the virus.

But the **LORD** had commanded, and the memory of the snake still remained in Moses' mind. So gingerly he put the dead appendage into his robe, expecting to feel a dead, clammy claw against his flesh. Instead, suddenly there was feeling again. He took it out, and saw that there again was his hand, with skin, nails and everything, looking as alive and as fresh as his right hand. He almost wept for joy at having his hand back.

"_If these will not convince your people, then pour some water from the River upon dry land, and it shall turn to blood before the people. These therefore are the signs that thou shalt show to your people, that they may believe that **I AM** with you._"

"But **LORD**, p-please!" cried Moses. "I am...no orat-t-t-...I am no man of words, nor is my t-tongue s-swift nor my speech."

"_Who made man's mouth? Who made those who cannot speak? Who maketh the seeing or the blind? Was it not I, the **LORD**?_"

"Send anyone else, **LORD**. Someone you should send, not I."

By the feeling of sudden heat, Moses knew he had spoken wrong.

"_**THY BROTHER, IS HE NOT AARON THE LEVITE? I KNOW THAT HE SPEAKS WELL, AND I SEND HIM EVEN NOW TO MEET WITH YOU!**_"

Moses stood there, upon his hands and knees, in fear and trembling before the wrath of the **LORD**. But the heat began to subside.

"_Thou shalt speak unto him, and reveal to him all that I have said unto you. And he shall speak unto the people and unto Pharaoh. Thou shalt be for him in My stead, and he shall be for you a speaker. Now therefore go, and I shall be with thee._"

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: That was horrible. I can't believe it disappeared like that. I almost screwed myself over with that. I directly said that the LORD speaks to Moses from out of the Burning bush since an 'angel of the LORD' cannot call himself 'the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob' or 'YHWH'. Sorry if this deletion caused confusion.)<strong>


	6. A Dangerous Meeting

**(AN: Of all the hundreds if not thousands of adaptations of the story of the Exodus, this little episode has never really been depicted. Here you get to see my version of it!)**

**(For future reference, there are numerous references to "_Asiatics_" in this story. They refer either to a] the Hyksos or b] the Israelites. You can probably tell which ones by looking for contextual clues.)**

**(Now enjoy the story of Moses you've probably never heard before!)**

* * *

><p><strong>A Dangerous Meeting<strong>

Late in the afternoon, as the sun was going down beyond the mountains to the west, Zipporah was busy preparing food for her sons and her returning husband. It would be only a short while when he would return with the flock. While she was returning a sack of goat's milk back to her tent, she saw a light upon the horizon.

Taking up her staff, she walked towards the light, wondering who it might be. The noise of bleating sheep told her that a flock of sheep and goats followed that light. It must be Moses.

But where was that light coming from?

She let out a gasp, and suddenly realized where the light was coming from. He had no torch, and the sun was already starting to set. His hair and beard were whitened and his face shown like the sun.

As he walked before the tent, she threw her hands before her face and made as if she would bow.

"P-please, stand up." Moses begged her.

"What happened to your face?" Zipporah asked, almost in whispers.

"I..." He paused, realizing the magnanimity of what had just happened. Then, after a bit of struggle with his stubborn tongue, he finally got out the phrase...

"I saw God."

Zipporah gasped, covering her shocked-open mouth with her hands.

"No one has ever seen the Almighty God!" she whispered.

"Not a face, but a sign." Moses said slowly. "There was a bush that was aflame though it did not burn, but...it-it was so bright, I dare not look upon Him with my weak eyes."

"Did He say anything to you?"

"He spoke to me...to me, as He did to Abraham and Jakob..." Moses seemed lost in thought. "I, the least of the Children of Israel, He spoke to me...He chose me..."

"For what, my love?" Zipporah inquired. "What did the **LORD** ask of you?"

"He said...that the time of deliverance has come for my people, as was foretold to Abraham...hundreds of years ago." He turned his face to Zipporah, who squinted before her husband's shining presence. "I am to return to Egypt and lead the Children of Israel out of slavery."

Zipporah approached her husband, threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, still not looking at the light upon his face.

"I fear for your safety, my husband." she said. "What they may do to you, if you go up against the Pharaoh, to defy his law."

Moses shook his head.

"Fear not, Zipporah, for the **LORD** God is with me." He looked up to the sky. "The Creator of Heaven and Earth and He promised to be with me..." The words still rang in his ears.

"_Now therefore go, and I shall be with thee_."

* * *

><p>It wasn't much of an inn, but a small camp where a group of merchants from the Amorite city of Jabbok made while en route to Egypt. When they saw a lone wanderer, leading a donkey with his wife and his two sons behind him, they offered to share their hospitality with him.<p>

While Gershom and Eliezer were with their mother by the tent, Moses walked among the traders, listening to what conversation they had and asking questions.

"And from what I have heard," a round-bellied Hittite said. "The new Pharaoh of Egypt is even worse than those that went before him."

"Worse is what you make of it, my Hittite friend." said an elderly Amorite. "If anything, he's a stern ruler, which is what a kingdom needs."

"Stern is hardly the word I would describe Pharaoh Neferhotep." a grim-faced Babylonian said. "He fears war from the Asiatics to the east, which is why he uses his own slave army to work for him. Wants to keep up his army."

"Your ears catch rumors like a carcass catches flies, Babylonian!" the Hittite said.

"What rumors?" Moses asked.

"Are you from the middle of the desert?" chortled the Amorite. "It's everywhere. The king of my country isn't pleased with it at all."

"Nor are the Philistines, from what I've heard." the Hittite said.

"An army of war-wagons..." mused the Babylonian, more to himself than to the others, though loud enough to be heard by them. "Six hundred at that. He knows the Asiatics are arming themselves for war, but he wants to meet them with a force of...what do they call them?"

"Chariots." the Hittite said.

"Ah, yes. He wants to meet the Asiatics with an army of...chariots of his own."

"But it's all just hearsay, is what I say." the Hittite replied.

Moses looked towards the fire, disregarding the chatting that was going on, until the Amorite posed a question directed at him.

"You're one of them, aren't you?"

"What?"

"You're one of the Asiatics, the people the Pharaoh has as his workers."

"Workers?" the Babylonian scoffed. "Slaves is what I heard."

"I heard that too." the Hittite said with no mirth in his voice.

Moses said nothing, but nodded silently.

As if to lighten the mood, the Hittite leaned over to Moses.

"Is it true that they cut themselves..." He pointed towards his lap.

"That's not true." the Babylonian said.

"I swear by the gods, I heard that they do!" the Hittite said. "But why? Does it make them better in fulfilling their nuptial duties?"

Moses said nothing. He was rather shocked - though not by their crudity. The obelisks of Egypt were in the images of the phallus, and there were whispers about what happened in certain temples of the gods, not to mention the very sheer gowns worn by Egyptian noble-women, whom he had been around for almost forty years.

What he was shocked about was that he had never heard Jethro speak of the people of Abraham cutting themselves. If it was true, he should have said something.

The others didn't press him, they were now back to Egypt.

"I heard that the High Priest of Ra died." the Amorite said.

Moses' ears perked up. Onem-way was the High Priest of Ra, and the one who had convinced the Pharaoh to have Moses executed. If he was dead, that meant that it might be safe for Moses to return to Egypt.

"Devoured by the crocodiles he worships." the Hittite laughed.

"I wouldn't cross the Pharaoh's latest priests, if I were you." the Babylonian said.

"You mean Janis and Jambres?" the Amorite asked.

"Now for once, Babylonian, you've heard some truth." the Hittite said.

"No tricks what those two perform." the Amorite said. "They're sorcerers, using their power to maintain that of the Pharaoh."

"I've heard that they can do all sorts of things, things that other priests and prophets only whisper about..." the Hittite said in a whisper. "...whisper in fear."

Moses wasn't afraid, looking into the fire.

He knew that **YHWH** was on his side.

* * *

><p>Moses awoke to a scene of terror.<p>

The camp was in disarray, the fire was gone, the tents were being blown about and all the animals were loose, braying as if possessed by some madness. The Amorite and the Hittite were off chasing their beasts, while the Babylonian stood transfixed by the door of his tent, a look of terror on his otherwise stoic face.

Moses feared a desert sand-storm had taken the camp, but, though it was dark, he could see clearly as in the daylight. Turning to the Babylonian, he saw that he was muttering something that sounded like a prayer of protection against some great evil. Turning, Moses saw what had given him such cause for fright.

Standing over where the fire had once been was a great pillar of flame. A shadowy figure crouched behind it, as if waiting for some command to attack.

Or permission to be released.

"_Moses..._"

It was Him, he recognized the voice.

"_When you return to Egypt, see that you do all the wonders I have given you power to do. But the Pharaoh will harden his heart against Me. Tell Pharaoh this:_"

Moses knew something was wrong. There was an anger within the voice, not as explosive as when Moses suggested another go in his stead, but a deep, simmering anger.

"_'Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel: "Israel is My Son, even My firstborn. And I say unto thee: Let my son go that he may serve Me. For if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay **thy** son, even thy firstborn."'_"

Moses was shocked. He never heard anything about killing. He called out to God for an answer, but he saw that the fire had subsided.

The shape, however, now took form. Hideous it was, monstrous and greater than the sons of man: more like giant sons of Anak, born from a time before the Great Flood, whose bastard offspring were mercenaries of the kings of the Philistines, godless and violent. About it howled a great wind that set the camp into chaos.

"Give me your firstborn son!" it bellowed, with a voice as harsh as knives yet honeydew-sweet as a harlot.

The word of the **LORD** rung in Moses' ears, but He could not understand why. All he knew was that this beast was after his son. Doubtless was its intention.

To kill him.

But why? Gershom had never done anything wrong. He was innocent, just like Job, why did he have to suffer?

Job...The **LORD** gives and the **LORD** takes away...

But why did God want to take away his son? What evil had he done to deserve this?

A thought came into his head, but he soon dismissed it. It was crazy, just a rumor.

"You failed to fulfill the pact your ancestors made to God. The flesh of your seed belongs to Him, one way or another." the demon said.

What did it mean?

There was little time to wonder. Moses was now with his back to his tent, shielding it from the demon. He could hear Zipporah give a cry of fear as she awoke to the sight of the monster. What did it want? The flesh of your seed...

It couldn't be...

A hand seized his loins.

There was something different, he knew. Something that he had that he just assumed was the same with everyone else, yet he knew when his two sons were born was not so. Was what the Hittite said true? Was his flesh indeed cut at the top?

Was that all that was wrong here? He hadn't done this to his firstborn son, and now this thing was after him?

"Yes, mortal. You've with-held your son from the Most High God, now he is mine."

No, Moses thought. It wasn't too late. Gershom may be a young man, but he was still alive. Moses had to do something.

"Zipporah!" he shouted, over the din of the wind.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I need you to do something."

"What is it?"

"Bring Gershom here!"

He dare not take his eyes off the slowly-approaching demon, but felt the tight-grip of his wife's hand upon his shoulder.

"He's here."

"Cut off the skin at the tip of his..." Moses pointed towards his loins.

"Are you insane?" she asked.

"Do it, please. He'll kill our son!"

"Who will? You're not making any sense!"

"Please, for our son's life."

"I don't understand!" she shouted. "My father was never cut, but he has lived on into old age. What does this mean?"

"**JUST DO IT!**" Moses shouted, a little harsher than usual.

He felt her grip loosen and footsteps disappear into the distance, then he heard them return. A dull thump and the sound of Gershom crying in pain followed.

"You're a man of blood!" Zipporah said angrily, throwing the bloody foreskin at the ground before Moses' feet. She took her son back into the tent, while Moses, ashen-faced, now knelt in something of fear or sadness.

Upon seeing the "offering", the fiend was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

Moses didn't know what to think, but he felt suddenly weary, and collapsed to the ground with his heavy eyes at last shutting themselves against his own protest.

* * *

><p>It was a sad company that now came in sight of the border of Egypt, the fortress of Migdol near Bael-Zephon and Pirah-Hiroth. In fear of what God may do to Eliezer, Zipporah took him and Gershom back to Midian, leaving Moses to complete the journey to Egypt alone. His own mind was wracked with doubt, wondering why God had done such a thing. He remembered what happened in Job, when God let Satan tempt Job, who said defiantly, "Thou He slay me, yet will I serve Him." Was this all a test? Was God putting him through the brick-oven once again, to be proven as a worthy servant?<p>

The sun was low in the western sky when the group saw a traveler in the distance coming their way. The others hailed him and as the sun was setting, the stranger joined them where they made camp. It was not far from the Migdol fortress, about within hearing range of the great Red Sea to the south.

"Hail, traveler!" the Amorite greeted the stranger who approached. Moses took notice of his raiment. It was strangely familiar, as was the face. The stranger spoke Egyptian, though, as fluently as he himself did.

Then they met eyes.

"Brother?" the stranger asked. He walked a bit closer. "Is that really...?" He broke off speaking to behold the old man, whose face was now wrapped in a shawl, but whose beard stuck out from the bottom. The stranger then ran up to Moses and threw him into a large embrace.

"Do you not remember?" he asked. "It is Aaron, your brother!"

"Aaron?" Moses asked. "I haven't seen you in f-forty years!"

"Still haven't changed, I see, brother." Aaron returned.

"What brings you out into the desert? Has Pharaoh f-f-freed our people?"

A darkness came upon the countenance of his brother.

"If only that were true. But a good thing nonetheless brings me out here: I had a dream, last night, brother, from the God of Our Fathers! He told me to journey into the desert, and that I would meet you here! And so it is!"

Moses laughed as he had not laughed in a long time at being reunited with his, apparently, long-lost brother.

Or, as it was more truthfully, with his brother.

He, Moses, was the one who was long-lost.

That night, they made their final encampment before making the long march between the Red Sea and the frontier land, the barren, mountainous regions between the Red Sea and her sister sea, Suez, which made the eastern border of the land of Egypt.

While the others spent their time regaling each other with tales of Egypt, Moses and Aaron were in deep discussion together, off by themselves. Moses recounted all that God had told him, and instructed Aaron that he was to be the spokesman for God. On the other hand, Aaron delighted Moses with an eloquent, if gory, description of life as a slave in Egypt under the new Pharaoh: Neferhotep.

While they continued, Moses then had a question that had been gnawing at him since Zipporah left.

"May I ask you something, brother?" Moses asked.

Aaron grunted his approval.

"Were you..." Moses pointed at his lap. "...cut down there when you were a boy?"

"When I was a boy?" Aaron almost laughed. "No, my brother, I was circumcised when I was seven days old, or so father told me."

"What?"

"Circumcision. Well, that's what it is." Aaron said. "See, to set His people apart from those around us, God commanded Abraham to cut off the foreskin of every male child once they were seven days old. That is circumcision. Every male child of the Children of Israel has been circumcised. Even you were before you left us."

"But why would G-God threaten my son with death if he weren't...cir-circumcised?"

"Perhaps he wants to set an example for His people." Aaron suggested. "Think about it. We've been in slavery for longer than anyone can remember. Sure, we still pray to the God of Our Fathers, but we've adopted to many of the beliefs of our masters. Too often have I seen good, honest Hebrews wearing amulets of the cow-goddess Hathor, claiming that it is the **LORD** God of Abraham. Circumscision might be a habit, but it was brought down to us by God from Abraham. As such, your children had to be an example."

"An example of what?"

"Moses, what you...what God is having you do is more than just bring our people out of bondage. You are saving the soul of our people, who have for too long been captive to the fancies of the Egyptians. As such, God wants you to be a model of His will and character, doing everything that He commanded of our father Abraham. You cannot have uncircumcised children and do what you are about to do, or they will call you two-faced.

"It seems hard, I know. But it is a sign of our dedication to God as His people."

Moses thought about this as sleep came over his eyes, too long weary from watching the fire die down.

The **LORD** was calling him to save the Children of Israel not just from physical bondage but from slavery to the vain gods of Egypt. What the LORD commanded of him that night in the camp was a little thing, but it meant something to God.

Even the little things, he thought, meant a great deal to the **LORD**.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: That is my explanation for why that event happened. As for the "being" that tries to kill Gershom, it's "the angel of death". Besides, to humans, angels, as they are described in Ezekiel, would look rather imposing in that form, whether good or evil. That little bit about Hathor is in reference to another event that will happen much later. Now abide until I update. lol)<strong>


	7. A Bittersweet Homecoming

**(AN: For some reason I didn't feel like working on either _Siegfried_ or start a new ff, so I got back to this)**

**(In regards to any Judeo-Christian ideology placed in my story, let me re-state that this is once again a work of fan-fiction, and, like any other piece of art or literature, the story will have some influence from the author. Now I won't violate the story in such a way by having Spartans or Navl SEALS in my story, but it may not be solely Judaism. After all, the story of the Exodus is not just the foundation of Judaism, but of Islam and Christianity as well. So in that respect, I shall continue)**

**(If I made a movie of this, I would use ethnically Jewish actors in the main roles [possibly Oded Fehr as Joshua, he looks capable of being a bad-ass like John Derek from _The Ten Commandments_]. In that statement, this is the first time I specifically have elderly people in the main roles. There will be no age retardation in my story like in the _Ten Commandments_ film [more on that later], but I've got several younger characters to feature, specifically the royal family of Judah [royal in that they're the ancestors of King David] and several others. Although I'd like to cast an unknown ethnically Jewish actress for Miriam, I felt that Helen Mirren could perform well, even though she's British.)**

**(In further regard to Miriam, let me say that someone who's name means 'rebellion' will not be depicted as being the only one who believes Moses, like in _Prince of Egypt_ in my story. She's sort of the off-and-on character, in regards to her loyalty. More on that as it develops.)**

**(Enough ado, let's get going!)**

* * *

><p><strong>A Bittersweet Homecoming<strong>

_Egypt._

Forty years of wandering through trackless wilderness hadn't completely erased the image from Moses' mind. The sandy-white halls dotting the green serpent that was the Nile, the river of life for the people of Egypt, were the major indications of life. But these were easily over-looked by the great plateau of Giza to the southwest. Atop its mesa, even visible from miles around, two small hills jutted out of the landscape, both of them dwarfed by one even larger. But these were no hills, for even from so distant, their limestone covers shone in the sunlight.

Many hundred years ago, the Pharaoh of Egypt built those hills upon the plateau. They were burial mounds, far surpassing the humble mastabas of his fore-bearers, but they were still a mystery to those who outlived them. Some said that they were built in defiance of the great ziggurats of the Babylonians. Others said that a more spiritual meaning was behind these great white-mounds, which seemed to chart the course of the Hunter in the night sky. Yet others said that they were so massive that surely the gods of Egypt had some hand in the construction thereof. Even in the time of Moses, the people of Egypt built pyramids. Granted, the mud-brick tombs of the nomarchs, built on the sweat, blood, sinew and (sometimes) bodies of the Children of Israel, were nothing compared to the titanic structures of old, but they were impressive nonetheless.

Moses wondered, as he had while he lived in Egypt, what countless number of workers, free men or slaves, labored to build those three monuments of stone upon the plateau. How many died because of the greed of the Pharaohs? For, to the mind of Moses, surely greed it had to have been. Jethro buried his wife under a pile of stones in the mountains of Midian, and the stories he had heard of the cave of Makpelah, where the bones of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as Jacob's first wife Leah, Isaac's wife Rebekah and Abraham's wife Sarah, were buried, gave to his mind a simple cave set into the side of a hill somewhere in a field. Nothing that cost as many lives as these pyramids did. Or any of the great cities of Raamoses or Pithon, built before Moses was born by his father and those who lived before him: cities devoted not to the maintaining of life, the worship of the gods or even the pursuit of commerce, but to the hoarding of the wealth of Egypt.

But the monuments of Egypt's past were not of concern to Moses and Aaron. Their path lay to the north-west, to the fertile delta region: into Goshen. From what he remembered of what his mother told him about the Hebrews coming to Egypt, the old Pharaoh, who welcomed them into his land, gave them the best land of Egypt. Perhaps, Moses thought as he and Aaron turned towards what had once been home, that was a reason why the Pharaohs who came after the old Pharaoh were so spiteful against the Hebrews. They had the best of Egypt's land, which the Pharaohs wanted for themselves.

_Pharaoh Neferhotep could have his land back_, Moses thought. _The people of Israel wouldn't need it anymore._

Mud-brick houses met their sight as the two men neared Goshen. The fertile valley stretched for miles, as beautiful as, rumor had it, the plain of Jordan. Green reeds stretched beyond the ghettos like a carpet, making the red-sand of the streets and mud-brick buildings stick out like an eye-sore. At least, to the eyes of the Pharaohs. To Moses and Aaron, this "eye-sore" was the beating heart of their people for as long as they could remember.

* * *

><p>Their arrival into the town was not unnoticed. Men on the streets stopped walking to turn to see the two approach: one they knew and missed for the last week or so, the other they did not know, shrouded and wearing the garb of Midian. Women and children came out from the houses to gawk or gaze in awe at the newcomers.<p>

A small group of people, led by a very important and venerable looking crone, came forward to meet them. Though the woman was very old, older possibly than Sarah was when she bore Isaac, she stood upright, and bore herself upon her tall staff with strength and authority. Her face was careworn, all the beauty of youth long gone, but there was still some semblance of the once lovely face that lingered at the back-corners of Moses' mind, though he knew not how or why.

"My dear sister!" Aaron greeted the matriarch. "I have returned, and you won't believe who I've brought back with me."

The old woman bore a scowl upon her face, one that did not match her brother's beaming smile.

"Miriam, you'll never believe who I've..."

"You left our people," she said tersely, cutting him off mid-speech. "To go chasing after dreams in the desert. You have no idea what they've done to us, to me, when they found out you disappeared. We are not free to do as we please, need I remind you! And now you come back with a vain-glorious smile on your face, bringing some faceless man from the desert? You shame the name of our father."

"Please, Miriam, let me explain." began Aaron. He put a hand on Moses' shoulder. "This is no stranger, this is our brother Moses!"

Miriam scoffed. "Come with me, fool!"

Seizing her brother by the ear, Miriam walked back with her group into one of the mud-brick huts.

"She bears a heavy burden in my father's absence." a young voice said at Moses' side. Turning, he saw a young man, not even fifteen years old, standing before him.

"And who are you?" Moses asked.

"I am Eleazar, son of Aaron." the youth said.

Moses was surprised, he did not know his brother had a family, much less a brother named after the same person for whom his own son was named.

"It is taxing on my aunt's patience, his departure." Eleazar said. "She means well, though she's not as hospitable to strangers as she once was." He then told Moses to follow him, and he made his way towards the house where Miriam had disappeared with Aaron.

Inside the hut the others, men varying in age sat or stood around while Moses' brother and sister argued behind a door. Eleazar approached two rather young men and seemed to be in dispute with them, who were attempting to listen through the door at the conversation. The elder of the two was a man well into middle age and the second was in his twenties, but still with no hair upon his face.

"It's not polite!" Eleazar said in hushed tones.

"Get back to work, Eleazar!" the elder said.

"Nadab is right, this is man's business." the middle child said.

"Abihu, Auntie said not to listen to something you aren't partial to!"

"Mind your little brother Ithamar!" Nadab, the eldest, replied.

"Quiet down!" hissed the one named Abihu.

Even without the three brothers arguing, Moses could hear nothing of what was going on.

The door was thrust open, sending Aaron's sons to the ground. Aaron turned on Eleazar, scolding him for listening to something he was not privy to hearing. Moses wanted to say something, but it did not feel right for him to interfere with the parenting of another, especially his brother. Nadab and Abihu, however, got themselves to their feet silently, and bowed at their father when he turned to look at them. He gave them a small smile and then turned to Moses.

"Miriam wants to speak with you...alone." he said.

Moses said nothing, but made his way into the room and shut the door behind him.

The room was small, but was originally built for a family of four. Three beds of straw and sewn blankets were lain about, and Miriam sat upon the largest of the beds. When Moses entered, she brought forth a crude stool for him to sit upon. Once he did, she spoke.

"Aaron tells me that you are Moses, son of Amram and Jocheved, our...brother." The last words came out slowly and unwillingly.

Moses nodded.

"But he is mistaken. Moses is dead. Forty years ago, he fell out of favor with the Pharaoh and they sent soldiers for him...to kill him." Miriam's voice was twinged with only a little sadness.

"Did they suc-c-succeed?" Moses said slowly.

Miriam turned to look at him, but then continued. "There was no body ever found. But even so, he must be dead. No one could hide in Egypt from the Pharaoh for that long."

"What if he d-didn't die?" Moses asked.

"How did he escape the Pharaoh's wrath?" she asked.

"He fled from Egypt, found refuge in Midian." he replied slowly, stumbling over his words at least twice.

Miriam didn't look perturbed at all. "If he did, I would call him a coward and a fool. Killing an Egyptian taskmaster; even death is given to Egyptians who kill their own, how much more would a slave's hand against his master warrant?"

She paused, gasping and seething in anger.

"But worse still, for abandoning his people...my people." She rose in a fit of rage after saying these words. "His mother, his true mother, my mother, risked her life for him! Three months she kept him here, in this room, away from every Egyptian who knocked on our door, looking for children to throw into the River! But he became too much to care for, too many close calls. Then she risked her life more than she had _ever_ done those past few months. She carried him to the River, through the midst of Egyptians searching for children, and let him go, if only to keep him alive. But she didn't abandon him: she sent me, the eldest, a woman, believed to be frail and weak, to watch after him! And I did; I saved him from starving to death at the dry t*ts of the Pharaoh's daughter!

"Until he was old enough to eat and walk on his own, my mother took care of Moses, told him everything, about our people, about his duty never to forget his God...and he runs away!"

In her rage, Miriam fell upon the floor of the hut. Moses leaped to his feet and gently helped her back onto her own.

"My apologies, stranger." she whispered, once back on the bed. "But even if he escaped into the desert, Moses is dead to me."

A long pause followed, while Moses wracked his brains with something to say. For a moment his frustration rose as his tongue seemed to swell within his mouth, incapable once again of articulating what he wanted to speak. But, after a while of hesitation, he was finally able to speak.

"W-what if h-he is alive?" he finally said. "W-what if he hasn't forg-gotten his p-people? His mother...and h-his God? What would you s-say then?"

"I would ask him why he left." was her response.

A tear came to Moses' eye.

He spoke again, slowly and even more haltingly than usual.

"He would say that he was a coward," he began. "That he feared the wrath of Pharaoh, that he did not trust in the God of his Fathers, whom he had kept in his heart for forty years. But One appeared to him in the wilderness, who told him to return...t-to save our people from bondage in Egypt."

Moses said no more, and made as if he would leave. An iron-strong hand gripped his wrist.

"Let me see your face." Miriam whispered.

A trembling hand rose to the shroud over his face. He knew how he appeared to others when he first approached Zipporah, and feared the brightness of his face would blind her. Would she even recognize him after almost seventy years? Miriam's hand, once iron-strong, was now soft like the wings of a dove as it gripped his own. He felt strength within them, strength which steadied his own shaking hands. With this strength, he carefully unwrapped the veil and let its folds fall down from off his face.

* * *

><p>It was daylight on the first day of the week, the day of the sun god Ra. For the Egyptians, this meant a day away from their own work: for the Hebrew slaves, it meant a few hours of rest. During those hours, in the light of the day, a gathering was taking place in front of a well that sat in the midst of the village. Moses was there, his face shrouded with his veil, and before him stood Aaron. To the side, Aaron's wife Elishebah and their four sons stood, looking on along with the Hebrew overseers and the leaders of the tribes.<p>

The people of Israel came from one man, Jacob the son of Isaac, called Israel by God. The people of Israel were further divided into Twelve Tribes, named for the twelve sons of Israel for whom the tribes shared a common ancestry. The leaders were known by the emblems that were embroidered into their robes: ocean waves for Reuben, a gate for Simeon, a breastplate of crimson, white and sable for Levi, a lion for Judah, a serpent for Dan, a hind for Naphtali, a wolf for Benjamin, a cluster of fruit for Ephraim and so forth.

After several minutes, with the people busy talking among themselves, Aaron asked one of the elders for a horn, which he winded once and then set down before its call roused the attention of their masters.

"Children of Israel, here ye this!" Aaron began. "The **LORD**, the God of your Fathers, has sent this man, Moses son of Amram, to bring us up out of Egypt!"

Silence followed, after which some began talking among themselves while others started laughing.

"Do you mean that this old man claims to have spoken to God?" a voice spoke out.

"Who is it that speaks?" Aaron asked.

A bald man, roughly around the age of Moses and Aaron, stepped forward.

"I am Korah, son of Izhar, of the tribe of Levi." he said.

"What do you have to say?" Aaron asked.

"How do we know this man spoke with the God of Abraham?" Korah asked.

"If he spoke with Him," another shouted. "Surely he knows His name."

"And you are?"

"Shammua of the tribe of Reuben." the second man stated, younger though still old enough to be of age to fight in battle or put to hard labor.

"Yes," Korah said. "What _is_ the name of He-Who-Has-No-Name?"

Moses waved his hand to Aaron, who walked near to him. Moses whispered something in Aaron's ear, after which the younger brother returned before the people.

"Moses, the prophet of the **LORD**, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has told me to tell you this: the name of the **LORD** our God..." Others had started talking.

"Silence!" he cried out in his loud, eloquent voice that hushed the crowds. When all were silent, he thus began...

"The name of the God of our Fathers...is..." Aaron shuddered, coming at a loss for words. He asked for a tablet and a stylus. His son Eleazar gave these to his father, and Aaron wrote in the letters of the Hebrew people four simple letters.

"**JEHOVAH?**" Shammua said, inserting syllables where there had been none. "What does it mean?"

"**I AM THAT I AM!**" Aaron replied.

The crowd was silent.

Slowly but surely, voices started to appear.

"How do we know that is His name?"

"The **LORD** has never spoken His name to anyone, how dare this simple man who can't even speak tell us he knows the name of the **LORD.**"

Aaron called for silence once again.

"The **LORD** has spoken, and the **LORD** has said that this name - **YHWH** - is His name for all time, a memorial to all generations. The **LORD** has said that our cries have been heard, and that He has sent this man, Moses, to bring us out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey!"

Scattered laughter erupted from the crowd.

"One man against the Pharaoh and his armies? You're mad!"

"This one's been out in the sun too long."

"Might as well stop the Nile from flowing."

"Go back to the desert, old fool! We don't need your false promises!"

At this, Moses stood up. He walked down before Aaron and raised his staff over his head for all to see. Aaron obviously took the hint and stood back, before his family.

"Behold the power of God!" he cried out.

The staff fell from his hand.

Cries arose from the crowd. They backed up before the sight of a serpent, laying where the staff had once been.

Moses remembered what had happened that day up on the mountain, and, as then, thrust his hand down and seized the serpent by its cold tail, taking up instead his staff. He then set the staff aside, and walked up before the people, holding his right hand for all to see. Trying hard to forget what he saw that day but remember what happened afterward, Moses threw his hand inside his robe, wincing in pain as he brought out a white, leprous claw before the people, who once again gasped in fear. Cries of "Unclean!" arose from the crowd, while others covered their mouths and averted their eyes from the hideous sight. Eyes closed, he put his wretched hand back in it again, and breathed a sigh of relief as he felt warmth run through his fingers once again. The healed hand was revealed to the people, who relaxed somewhat but still cries in shock.

"Water!" he called out.

Aaron immediately rose to this request. He clambered over to the edge of the well and began hand-over-hand-pulling a heavy bucket filled with water from the river's bed below. With strength that would surprise the physically retarded people of this day and age for one so old, Moses untied the bucket from its rope and heaved it with both hands up before him. He walked around the ring of people standing before him, some of them stepping back in fear, others glancing inside the bucket. Inside was water, as refreshing and life-giving as any that flowed from the cataracts to the south, clear as crystal. After Moses had shown the water to everyone, he dumped it upon the ground.

Once again, cries of shock came from the people. For the water poured from the bucket as clear as before, but once it touched the earth, it became red and dark and thick like blood shed upon the field of battle. Some stepped back and cried out in amazement, while others remained silent, and others cried out in applause at these miracles.

"Let these signs show that the hand of the **LORD** is with Moses!" Aaron cried out. "The **LORD** has set the day of our deliverance and behold, it is nigh!"

Cheers came from many in the crowd. They gathered about Moses and Aaron, crying and sending up praises to the Almighty. So great was the tumult that it seemed as though the people of Goshen would lift them up and bear them upon their shoulders to the gates of Memphis and the court of the Pharaoh. Aaron bore a look of fear on his face that Moses guessed was because of the Egyptian overseers: he feared they would notice the tumult. Though that did not happen, there were other problems the two brothers faced. It was almost impossible to return to the house now, they were pressed on all sides by people. Aaron and his sons set themselves up as a barrier between the people and Moses, which allowed him to enter the house.

"That went rather well, brother." Aaron said. "The people believe, for now. But will Pharaoh be as hearkening to our pleas?"

"No, brother." Moses said. "The **LORD** t-t-t-t-told me that Pharaoh will harden his heart and will not let us out...not yet."

The door to the other end of the house opened, and Miriam approached. It had been seven days since she met her brother coming in from the desert, bringing Moses with him. She had stayed silent throughout what had happened, but listened intently to all that had transpired. She held a bundle of clothing in her arms and a tear was in her eyes.

"I wish to speak to Moses in private." she said.

Aaron led his sons outside, closing the door behind him. Miriam walked back into the room and beckoned Moses to follow her. Slowly he made his way back into the room, looking around, wondering if he could even recall anything from his childhood from this room.

"Forgive me, Moses." she whispered. "It has been hard, these many years, knowing that you lived in the halls of Egypt while our parents died in bondage to the Pharaoh. When they marked you for death, I had hoped you would return and liberate us. These past forty years have not been kind on me, brother." She wept openly. "I have kept our people, listening to their grievances against our masters and knowing that I can do nothing."

Moses walked over to her and put his arm around her in comfort.

She pulled out of the embrace and removed one of the clothes from the bundle in her arms. It was a cloak, sewn with the crimson, white and sable colors of the tribe of Levi. It was old, and looked as though it had been mended in several places and torn in others and repaired over there: the pattern, however, was unbroken and the seamstress did a marvelous job in keeping the repairs as original as if they were part of the principal cloth.

"This robe belonged to your father Amram," she said. "When we put you adrift on the Nile, Father tore his own robe and gave a piece to you as your blanket: when the daughter of Pharaoh gave you to your mother to be weaned, she returned it. When Father died, your mother wanted you to have his robe, so she sewed it back together. She gave it to me before..." Miriam sniffed back tears. "...she knew you would return to us."

She reached out and reverently placed the cloak around Moses' shoulders. Upon seeing him, who but for the shroud bore the likeness of her father, now dressed in the colors of Levi, Miriam threw her arms around him, a small tear tracing its way down her face.

"My brother Moses comes back to us...to set us free."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: So far so good?)<strong>

**(Yeah, I'm going into new territory by having elderly characters in the lead in my story. Moses is 80 and his brother and sister are close to that if not older. In _Ten Commandments_, as well as in other such movies and TV shows, they make the characters age disproportionately. So you've got 80-year-old Moses who looks between 45 and 55, Miriam who looks 38 or 45, and Moses' adopted mother who's supposed to be almost, if not, over 100 years old, yet she looks barely 40...and getting married! That will change in my story.)**

**(Gonna start laying down some more secondary characters next chapter, as well as the reinvention of a famous line/scene.)**


	8. Snakes and Double Trouble

**(AN: Thank you for the reviews so far. In regards to Miriam's expectations for Moses, I have to say that it would be in line with the promise made to Abraham, as mentioned earlier in this story, so anyone who was familiar with the One True God and the history of the Hebrews would know at least something about it [and Exodus said that Moses did not forget about his people or his God, which more or less was ingrained into his mind by the teaching of his mother Jocheved, and I doubt she would neglect her other children, aka. Miriam and Aaron]. Even if Miriam did not know of the promise, she knew that her brother was in Egypt, being raised as a prince, in a position to enact major reforms, even the freedom of the Hebrews. Just a bit of speculation)**

**(As for Moses' face, that was originally said, in Exodus, to have happened after the people were brought to Sinai, but Mr. DeMille, and myself, decided to make that happen after his first audience with the LORD. That's why it was shining/glowing this early on. Just my thing, especially since the LORD said that Moses was to be in His stead in the presence of the Pharaoh.)**

**(The names for the two High Priests come from the New Testament _Acts of the Apostles_, since it was not mentioned in the OT anywhere what their names were. I originally de-Hellenized their names, but was a little upset about how their de-Hellenized names sounded like, so I go back to the Greek names. Appearance of some very important characters in this chapter)**

* * *

><p><strong>Snakes and Double Trouble<strong>

"Divine one!" the announcer said. "There is a group of men standing outside, they wish to speak with you."

The great palace of Memphis was a testament to the architecture of Egypt and the work of the slaves. Before the throne room was an antechamber, where those who were to meet the Pharaoh would wait to come before the 'god-king.'

"The Pharaoh is not to be disturbed right now." Jambres said. "He is entertaining his guests."

"With all due respect, High Priest, they have requested to speak with the Pharaoh at once."

"Who are they?" Janis, the High Priest's cohort, asked.

"Several of the overseers of the slaves, Your Eminence." the announcer reported. "They bring a shrouded prophet from the desert, they say they were sent by the Most High God with a message for the Pharaoh."

"The gods have spoken nothing to us." Jambres said.

"Pah, they are fools." Janis scoffed. "At least they will give our lord, and us, some lively entertainment."

"Ah yes!" Jambres said, catching the other priest's idea. "I see no reason why we can't enjoy the portents of this slave-prophet."

"Then, with your permission, may I announce them before the Pharaoh?"

The two priests made mocking bows to the announcer before scurrying off to their side at Pharaoh's right and left. The announcer struck the marble floor with his staff and said in a loud voice.

"The overseers of the slaves, with a prophet of the Most High God."

All eyes turned towards the new-comers. A few whispers came from the bald or wig-bearing nomarchs of Egypt remarking on the general hairiness of the slaves, and Miriam gasped in disgust at the sheer gowns of the Egyptian noble-women.

_Hardly ladies with that kind of immodesty,_ she thought.

Through his shroud, Moses turned his attention to the Pharaoh: Neferhotep. At his right side sat a queen, bedecked in gold and precious stones, and behind her throne there stood two children, a son and a daughter. The son was eldest, his head shaved bare save for a lock that hung from the side; the girl was very young, not even having seen eighteen years. She wore a wig of black hair and a simple golden necklace about her neck and rings on her wrists and fingers.

The Pharaoh was the first to speak.

"The high priests tell me you have a message from me from some God, higher than all the gods of Egypt." the Pharaoh said. He laughed. "First, why do you not bow? Does your God tell you not to bow before your master?"

"We bow no knee, except in prayer to the **LORD** God of Israel." Aaron said.

"Impudent pig!" the prince cried.

"Hold, my son." the Pharaoh said, not even turning to see that his son was reaching for a sword. "You..." The Pharaoh pointed at Aaron. "You are Aaron, son of Amram, of the tribe of Levi, counted a leader among your people and a spokesman."

"Yes, mighty Pharaoh."

"And who is this desert prophet who hides behind a veil?" the Pharaoh asked with a sneer.

"This is Moses, my brother, the messenger of the Most High God." Aaron replied.

"What is this message?"

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel," Aaron said determinedly. "'Let My People go that they may serve me!'"

The Pharaoh laughed. "And who is this God that I should let your people go at His wish?"

"He is the Creator of Heaven and Earth!" Miriam spoke up.

"Your woman should know better than to speak in a court of men." the Pharaoh said. He then nodded at his son. The young man walked off the raised platform upon which the throne sat and smote Miriam on the face. The prince then walked back to his place, a sinister smile on his face.

"Please, mighty Pharaoh," Aaron said. "We do not wish to leave forever. Our God asks that His people be allowed leave to sacrifice unto Him for three days in the wilderness."

"I do not know your God," the Pharaoh said. "Nor will I let His people go."

"Your pardon, my lord," Aaron added. "But our God has commanded that we should let you behold His power." He stepped aside, giving the floor to Moses.

Moses rose his staff up before Pharaoh, and threw it to the ground. Cries of alarm came from those assembled as the staff transformed into a serpent, weaving its head at each of the people gathered about.

The Pharaoh was a little shocked, but only smirked.

"Your serpent will not harm a god," he said knowingly. "Not when the god-king has guardian serpents of his own at his command." He rose his hands and gestured towards the serpent.

Janis and Jambres stepped forward, holding staves with ornately carved heads. They spoke in a strange tongue, that was neither Egyptian nor Hebrew, their eyes rolling back into their skulls. As one, they let their staves drop to the marble floor. Two black cobras rose from where the staves had fallen.

"Any trick your God can perform can be duplicated by the gods of Egypt and then some!" Janis said.

"Your God is weak!" mocked Jambres.

As soon as they had spoke, a hissing came from their feet. The long serpent had bit one of the black cobras by the neck, raised its head towards heaven, and proceeded to force the cobra down its throat. Those around them gasped in fear, or turned their heads in disgust. Jambres, whose staff was now being devoured, tried to create some spell of his own to save his serpent, but it was too late. The long serpent ate it alive without even hurting itself.

The last cobra hissed in defiance at its predator, then proceeded to slither away when the long serpent came after it. It lunged at the charging serpent, attempting to make some defense against it, and broke its fangs upon the scaly coils of Moses' staff, which proceeded to deliver the same end to it as it had to its companion.

The cobras gone, Moses put his hands around the tail of the serpent, drawing a staff once again into his hand.

Silence followed.

God had told Moses that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, but Moses was not ready for the response to the miracle that Pharaoh gave.

Laughter.

"That was good!" he said, after catching his breath. "Too good." He became serious and stern once again. "We have been too lenient on your people, giving them far too much time to be idle and invent this God and his magic tricks."

"Please, mighty Pharaoh!" Aaron pleaded. "Let us go to serve our God, or we will be struck down with pestilence or die by the sword!"

"You'll die by the lash if you don't obey my orders, Hebrew slave!" the Pharaoh said. Aaron was silent. The Pharaoh then ordered his overseer of the Brick-works before him.

"Tell me about the brick-works." the Pharaoh said.

"Exalted one, we've sent slaves out into the river's edge, just before the flood plains, to gather mud. We then give them the straw that our own reapers gather when they sheave the wheat..."

"Overseer, let this be the law." the Pharaoh began. "The slaves are to make the same quota of bricks as before, but for the making of the bricks, we shall not provide them with straw."

"How can we make bricks without straw?" Aaron asked.

"Your idle people can gather your own straw, by night if you have to, and take your women and children to gather as well. If you do not meet your daily quota of bricks made, the Hebrew overseers shall feel the sting of the lash. That will give your people more to do than listen to vain words."

"Please, mighty Pharaoh, I beg you..."

"Get back to your burdens, slave." The Pharaoh then departed from the room, his entourage following after him.

* * *

><p>The road from Memphis to Goshen.<p>

Aaron and Moses returned to their house, while Miriam and the others left to attend to the people. Already some time had passed and the sun was going down beyond the wide desert to the west. While they were walking along the road, they espied two men approaching them. There was one, who was at least as old as Moses had been when he killed the Egyptian, and another, at least half that age, standing beside him. Both of them looked like they had worked hard for all of their lives.

"Moses, Aaron, hail!" the older man said. The two stopped before them. "I am Caleb, son of Jephunneh of Judah, a sledge-puller. This is my friend, Joshua, son of Nun of Ephraim, a stone-cutter. We've come to warn you about entering Goshen."

"Why?" Aaron asked.

"We are not en-ene-enemies of our own people." Moses said.

"That's not how it seems." Caleb said. "We've just come from Goshen. Things for our people have gotten worse since you spoke with the Pharaoh."

"We know." Aaron said.

"Do you?" Joshua interjected. "The people are divided. The brick-pits can't bring out anything until we have straw, but the royal harvesters won't let us get anything except stubble. We can't work any faster than we are, but our brick quota hasn't been met!"

"Madness!" Aaron responded.

"It's worse." Caleb said. "When we didn't meet our quota, they beat the Hebrew overseers."

"They're blaming you, Moses." Joshua said. "They say you've brought Pharaoh's wrath upon your own people."

"That is not so!" Aaron said indignantly.

"We know, Joshua and myself." Caleb answered. "We believe that whatever may happen, the God of our Fathers is with you. That's why we're here."

"We thought you'd need someone to protect you, in case our own people try to attack you." Joshua added.

"Thank you." Aaron said.

They continued walking, though Joshua noticed that Moses hadn't said a word, his eyes cast down to the ground.

Any hope they had of returning to their house without being spotted disappeared immediately. At first it was just a few children, throwing the usual mockery that foolish children do from lack of knowledge, working only on hearsay. But this drew the attention of their parents and their elders, who knew better and told their children to cease their mocking...

Until they saw the object of their mockery.

"Go back to the desert, charlatan!" an adult shouted.

"We don't need you!"

"We're not suffering enough for you?"

"Savior? Pah!" the voice of Korah shouted. "You've given into the hands of our masters a sword to our own destruction!"

"Leave us alone to serve the Pharaoh!"

"Deliverer? Better to serve the Egyptians than to die under their wrath!"

"We don't need you, false prophet!"

At first it was just words, but when a stone flew dangerously close to Aaron's foot, Joshua knew that things were getting ugly.

"Caleb, they're trying to stone us!" he shouted.

"So I see."

"What do we do? Should we fight then off?"

"No!" Aaron interceded. "We'll shed not the blood of our people."

A few other stones came their way, one which struck Caleb on the back and sent him to his knees. But he was strong, and it caused no lasting damage. Neither Moses nor Aaron were hit, and though he had been hit himself, Caleb ordered Joshua not to return the enmity of the people.

They ran the last few cubits to the door and shut it fast behind them. Once inside, Moses noticed Aaron's sons were present, all of them, even Nadab and Abihu, bearing somber expressions.

"What happened?" Aaron asked.

The door to the farthest room opened, and Aaron's wife Elisheba stepped out.

"Our sister," she began. Aaron knew what she meant: as part of his family, Elisheba considered his sister Miriam to be like unto a sister of her own. "You must see her at once, and you also, Moses."

They feared what would happen, but both Aaron and Moses followed Elisheba back into the bedroom. There, stretched out face-down upon one of the beds lay Miriam.

"Who's there?" a weak voice asked from the poor old woman.

"It's Moses, sister." Elisheba answered.

"I..." the old woman sobbed. "I believed he was the one...the one to fulfill the promise to our father Abraham. But this..."

Miriam passed out.

Her robes had been pushed off, revealing her back. It was a sad sight, especially for Moses. He knew that on every back of his brethren, the Children of Israel, both male and female, were the scars of the taskmasters' whip: every one except his own.

On the back of his sister, he saw there were many old scars of over eighty years of beating. Some were nothing more than lines, no different than those that criss-crossed her face, lining her aged back. Others, however, were hideous beyond belief, red with fresh blood, and damasked with the hideous rash of a fresh blow. Elisheba had done her best to clean the wounds, but they were still very ugly to behold.

Aaron gasped in shock, kneeling down beside his sister.

"How did this happen?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"She is one of the Hebrew Overseers." Elisheba said. "They beat her along with the others when the people didn't meet their tally of bricks."

Aaron was almost shaking with anger.

"What do you have to say for this, brother?" he asked.

But Moses was already gone.

* * *

><p>Night had fallen upon the city of Goshen, but Moses bore no torch with him. He did not even care if he was seen, all he did was walk out towards the high grasses, his anger growing. Once he was sure that he had gotten far enough, he threw the staff aside and fell upon the grassy earth.<p>

"**LORD**, God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, why? Why have You treated Your people wrong? I have done what You asked of me, but the Pharaoh has wronged my people, and You have not freed them!"

His anger broke away into sobs as he lay face-down upon the ground.

There was silence for a while, broken by the chirping of insects among the reeds or the lowing of a hippo.

Then the voice spoke again.

"_**I AM** the **LORD**, the God of your fathers. I appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by the name of Adonai - the Almighty God. Only to you **I AM** known as **YHWH**. To them I promised that I would give them the Land of Canaan, the land in which they were foreign pilgrims._"

"The people, **LORD**. They have turned against me and against You."

"_Tell the people this: '**I AM** the** LORD**, and I shall remember my covenant with your ancestors. Therefore I will save you from the bondage of Egypt, and redeem you with My strong hand and great judgment. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your God: and you shall know that **I AM** the **LORD** thy God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And as I swore unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so will I do unto you: I will bring you into the Land of Canaan and give it to you as your inheritance.'_

_"In the morrow, go unto the Pharaoh, as he is by the River's bank, and command him once again to let My people go._"

"The people did not listen to me, how then will the Pharaoh?"

"_I have made you as a god before Pharaoh, and Aaron will be your prophet. Aaron shall order the Pharaoh to let My people go, and you shall do all that I have given you power to do. But of a surety, the Pharaoh will not harken unto My voice. Now shall you, your people and all of Egypt see what I will do unto Pharaoh: for he will harden his heart, and I shall increase the wonders that I do unto him before his people and yours, and the people of Egypt will know that **I AM** the **LORD.**_"

Then it was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: After a disastrous deletion of a chapter ere it had been published, I now got to post this one. Please inform me if and where I have not bolded the Tetragrammaton, I did that in <em>Joshua<em> and seek to it in this one as well. All my writing time is getting killed by my parents who want me to hang with people who hate me and walk in a strange new world that I don't even know.)**

**(Anywho, I'll get the next chapter up soon.)  
><strong>


	9. Blood and Frogs

**(AN: New update! I'm still debating on skipping some of the plagues and just having them mentioned. I know, I'm bad. But it was starting to get a little repetitive, when I first wrote this, so I decided to only have some of them mentioned. Who knows, I might go back and re-tell the whole thing)**

**(As far as themes go, Moses is definitely more _human_ than the epic-hero of _The Ten Commandments_, though not as much as Val Kilmer's Moses from _Prince of Egypt_. My Moses is an old man who can't speak clearly who's given the greatest task anyone could ever hope for - pretty much "play the villain" before one of the mightiest kings of the world and lead a nation to their freedom.)**

**(And I've made the prince of Egypt a little bit of an ass, as you will no doubt see why later on.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Blood and Frogs<strong>

The sun rose upon the land of Egypt, upon the fertile Nile delta. In the city of Memphis, the Pharaoh and his priests welcomed the coming of the sun disk Aten, while in an old shrine to Hapi, a group of Israelites stood round about. Caleb and Joshua paced uneasily, trying not to look at the half-naked statues of the goddess, while Moses sat pensively upon the steps nearest the River. At his side stood Aaron.

"Why are we here, Moses?" Aaron asked.

Moses said nothing.

"I agree with Aaron." Caleb said. "Is this not a dishonor to the God of Abraham to sit in the shrine of this lewd goddess?"

"We should get moving." Joshua added. "The Pharaoh's offering to the one of the River gods will be in a little time."

"I can't keep up with all the gods of Egypt, nor do I wish to do so." Caleb said, turning once again away from a statue of Hapi.

"Moses?" Aaron asked again.

Silence followed, after which Moses spoke again.

"This is the place." he said slowly. "The p-p-p-princess would tell me the goddess gave me to her at this spot. I am now raising my h-h-h-h...my hand against a kingdom that once gave me life, a people who once c-c-called me brother."

"But we are your people." Caleb said.

"Life comes only from God, my brother." Aaron added.

"Are the p-p-p-people of Egypt any less important than the people of Israel?" Moses asked.

"They have oppressed us, kept us from the promise of God to our fathers, as you said." Joshua added.

"What if w-w-we were the oppressors, who never knew God?" Moses asked aloud, though he was thinking to himself. "What if Egypt knew Him, and we were their t-t-t-t-taskmasters? What if God sent another to save them and bring down His hand upon us?"

"But that is not so." Aaron said.

"Shouldn't the people of Egypt have the chance to kn-n-n-n-n-now God the way we do? As a kind, loving God, one who blesses all that we touch."

"How were we blessed by God during four hundred years of slavery?" Joshua asked.

"Remember, Joshua, the reason why Pharaoh ordered the male children to die so many years ago." Caleb said. "God was with us, and made even our burdens make us stronger. The Pharaoh feared us, feared that we might rise against him in time of war."

Moses stood up, his face turned towards the River.

"Let us go." was all he said.

* * *

><p>The Pharaoh was on his way along the River's edge in his bower, his on the prince and the High Priests, Janis and Jambres, flanking the Pharaoh. Behind them walked the various attendants and servants, as well as princes and several other nobility who often attended the lord of Egypt. As they continued down the side of the River, they saw four men in Hebrew clothing standing before them.<p>

"Make way for the Pharaoh, son of the gods!" announced Janis.

"There is only one god," Aaron returned. "And we are His messengers."

"Do you hear, father?" the prince asked, turning to the bower. "He insults the gods! Give me the word, noble father, and I'll run him through on the spot!"

"Silence!" the Pharaoh barked at the prince. "Let us see what portents of doom this desert-prophet has for us today."

Caleb and Joshua escorted Moses and Aaron before the bower of the Pharaoh.

"Good morning, mighty Pharaoh." Aaron greeted, inclining his head slightly.

"What is good about a morning when the god-king must see to the ramblings of a mad prophet from the mud-pits?" the Pharaoh demanded.

"It is not madness that we bring to you, great one." Aaron retorted. "Only a message: thus sayeth the **LORD**, God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me.'"

"I told you before," the Pharaoh said. "I do not know your God, nor will I let Israel go."

"Then y-y-you will know the w-work of His Hand." Moses said suddenly.

Pharaoh's entourage was startled to hear the veiled prophet speak, but only a little. Small laughter erupted among the nomarchs and aristocrats around the Pharaoh's litter.

"Ah, so the desert prophet has a tongue to speak." the Pharaoh said. "Perhaps it is shame that causes him to hide his face? Shame for the curse of such in-eloquence. Tell me, desert prophet, did your God curse you with a poor tongue?"

"The curse of God will be upon the Nile if you will not let His people go!" Aaron said.

"Be silent, mouth-piece." the Pharaoh said. "I would hear the prophet of your God speak instead."

Moses was silent for a moment, perhaps thinking what he would say next and how he would do so without shaming God with his poor speech.

"Aaron." Moses said, turning from the Pharaoh to his brother. "Stretch out your staff up-p-p-pon the waters of Egypt; from the River even unto the water in jars and the w-w-water of their pools."

"What is the meaning of this?" Pharaoh asked.

Aaron halted before the lord of Egypt.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD**, God of Israel:" he said to the Pharaoh. "'In this shalt thou know that **I AM** the **LORD**: behold, I shall smite the waters of Egypt - their streams, their rivers, their ponds and their pools of water - and they shall become blood.' Fourscore years ago, the Pharaoh made the streets of Goshen run red with the blood of the male children of Israel: for seven days, there will be blood throughout the land of Egypt, even in your vessels of wood and stone."

As soon as Moses spoke, he nodded in Aaron's direction. The brother stood on the banks of the River, and had risen the staff in both hands and stretched it out across all the land of Egypt: from the western deserts of Lybia, the eastern frontier at the edge of the Gulf of Suez, from the cataracts of the Nile to the south to the shores of the sea in the north.

When Moses gave the signal, Aaron struck the waters of the River with the tip of his staff.

Cries of alarm came from the nomarchs and aristocrats around Pharaoh's litter.

"Sacrilege!" one cried.

"Life becomes death!" echoed another.

"Do not fear!" Jambres shouted. "This is no work of any god!"

"Yes, yes." Janis said. "The earth of Khnum's cataracts has been known to spew red mud into the river."

"This will be gone in little time, surely less than seven days." Jambres added.

"Behold!" Janis had produced a silver ewer, into which he poured a pouch of earth. "The earth of the cataracts turns the water red. It is not blood."

"As you can see, weak-tongued prophet," the Pharaoh said to Moses. "Your tricks will not prove to me the power of your nonexistent God. Now go back to your burdens."

Dejected, Moses and Aaron and the others left the presence of Pharaoh.

"Send the people to dig trenches for fresh water." the Pharaoh ordered his overseer.

"But, divine one," Jambres said. "Janis has just proven that there is nothing to fear!"

"And so he has." the Pharaoh said. "But the red mud of the cataracts is also poisonous, which would fit in well with that fool's plot once the fish start to die."

"As the Pharaoh commands." the two bowed before the Pharaoh in respect for their lord.

Grumpily, the Pharaoh ordered his entourage to move out. Jambres and Janis, meanwhile, waited behind for only a moment to mock Moses and Aaron behind their backs. Their servants and attendants waited with them.

"The fools!" Janis laughed. "It's not even red mud!"

"I thought for certain you had done so." Jambres asked.

"No, it is henna." He then produced his pouch before his fellow. "Now, let us drink this red water in mockery of that fool and his blind, dead God!"

"I'll drink to that!"

They summoned their servants to bring forth their silver divining cups, which they then poured the red liquid into and raised them as if in toast.

"Long live the Pharaoh!" Janis suggested.

"Long live the gods of Egypt!" Jambres returned.

The two bashed their cups together and then drank them as one. Suddenly they both fell to the ground, coughing and spitting out what had once been in their mouths just a few moments ago.

"That wasn't water!" gagged Jambres.

"No, it wasn't." Janis said fearfully.

It was something much worse. Something they had tasted during their dark rituals in certain temples after midnight.

_Blood._

* * *

><p>The land was dry.<p>

Or at least, would be dry, if not for the frogs.

Everywhere, small amphibians, green, brown and many colors alike, bounded and ribbited off of every surface and out of every jar.

Though they receded as Moses and Aaron made their way through them to the palace in Memphis.

They were back among the people of Egypt, though none of them looked upon them with faces of disgust or even hatred. They were too busy with the frogs. They were coming out of everything, spoiling all the vases, and sitting on everything in sight. It would have been a humorous sight, if not for the sheer number of them made doing anything impossible.

The two stopped at the throne, where the Pharaoh sat, looking a little bewildered at what was going on. When the two prophets came before him, however, his demeanor changed.

"Welcome, prophets of the God of the Hebrews." he said, almost congenially. "I fear that I have spoken too soon when I said that I would not let Israel go."

"Oh?" Aaron asked. "Does the croaking of the frogs disturb great Pharaoh's sleep? Cannot your sorcerers find a solution?"

"Dog!" the prince cried, throwing a frog at Aaron, which hit him on the head and bounced off into the sea of frogs at his feet.

"True," the Pharaoh continued. "Janis and Jambres have brought forth frogs, but they cannot take away the frogs that now inhabit this land. And the god Geb would not have his servants killed at our hand. Therefore, I see no reason why three days in the wilderness is a great inconvenience to Egypt."

"As the Pharaoh wishes it." Aaron said.

"I wish these frogs be gone from my land!" the Pharaoh said. "Ask of your God to remove the frogs, and I will let your people worship Him for three days in the desert."

"On the morrow," Aaron began. "We shall entreat to the **LORD**, that He remove the frogs so that they stay in the River."

"Why can't He remove the frogs now?" The prince demanded. "Does He enjoy our torment so much that He asks for another day of suffering?"

"Your p-p-pardon, my lord," Moses said, bowing before the prince. "But one day is nothing compared to having the f-f-frogs gone from out of your houses. And not only for your g-g-g-graces."

"My brother is right." Aaron said. "For our people, one more day of servitude is nothing compared to the centuries we have labored faithfully under your hand."

The Pharaoh nodded somberly.

"Very well," he said. "You shall have your day. But tomorrow, there shall be no more frogs."

"So it shall be done." Aaron concluded, bowing before the Pharaoh. He and Moses then left the throne room.

Taking care to not step on any frogs.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN:)**


	10. Crawling Sickness

**(AN: Okay, I decided to make a little bit of something about each plague. I may not go into carcinogenic detail, but I will definitely include them. That's why it took so long for me to update this story.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Crawling Sickness<strong>

The morning in Memphis came to a sight that wasn't much prettier than before.

With the river turned to blood, all the animals in the Nile died and it stank. Without the nourishment of the River, the plants died and the trees dried up. All was barren, safe for a dozen-cubit-wide crescent of green land around Goshen.

That morning, before the Pharaoh "called" Aten into the world, Moses and Aaron entreated God to remove the frogs. The sun rose upon a land littered with the bodies of dead frogs. The land, made barren by the many dying plants that could not drink the blood that flowed through the river for seven days, now reeked with the stench of the dying amphibians. The people of Egypt set their servants to removing the frogs from out of their houses, a task that was neither easy nor pleasant.

Before a balcony of the palace of the Pharaoh, down upon the ground, Moses and Aaron stood, looking upward where the Pharaoh, his son and daughter, and the sorcerers Janis and Jambres stood, gazing down upon them.

"Our God has slain the frogs as promised." Aaron said. "Do the Children of Israel have your leave to go?"

"Leave to go?" The Pharaoh mocked. "Ha! The frogs died because of the poisoned river! The red mud of the Nile was unfit for them to live in, so they left. But with no shade from the sun, they died. This is not the work of your God. Your people shall stay in Egypt!"

"You have deceived the **LORD** God of Israel!" Aaron shouted, raising his fist at the Pharaoh.

"Watch your tongue, slave!" the prince said. "You think yourself at liberty before the god-king Pharaoh, need my blade prove you wrong?"

"Wait!" Moses said. He then motioned for Aaron to approach him. "S-S-Strike the earth with your staff, brother."

Aaron nodded, rose his staff and struck the ground.

A scream came from the balcony.

Followed by several others from the guards at the base of the balcony.

They were casting off their shoes, their wigs, rubbing the dust off their legs as if it pained them.

But it didn't come off.

In fact, it was getting white.

"What is this sorcery?" a nomarch from the balcony asked.

"The **LORD** God has told us," Aaron said. "'Stretch out thy rod and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt!"

"Janis, Jambres, do something!" the angry voice of the Pharaoh said from above.

"What do you want us to do?" Jambres' voice cried out.

"Show me the gods can create these lice!" the Pharaoh said. "Or better yet, remove them from the land!"

Some muttering followed, during which various noises came from above, some of them from the priests as they spoke their dark incantations, others from those assembled, grunting in annoyance as they scratched their bald heads, flogged their queues or rubbed their itching skin.

"Well?"

"The gods stand silent, mighty Pharaoh!" whined Janis.

"What?" Pharaoh roared.

"We are afflicted as well," Jambres said. "They have shut their ears to our lips, our bodies befouled by the lice."

"Your priests of the gods, yet you can do _nothing_?" the Pharaoh roared.

"The hand of the God of Israel is against us!" begged Jambres. "What can we do?"

"Eight days ago you told me the gods of Egypt could do anything better than the God of Israel, now you defy me? What good is your advice anyway!" The Pharaoh looked down upon Moses and Aaron.

"Rest assured, charlatans, you and your people shall never leave Goshen!"

* * *

><p>Once more they were down by the shrine of the Nile goddess Hapi early in the morning.<p>

The priests offered their prayers to the gods, while Pharaoh bathed in the Nile to wash away the lice. What with the blood having long since disappeared, the river was clean and good once again.

When he arose, there were guests on the other side of the River.

"Pharaoh of Egypt!" called out the voice of Aaron. "Obey the **LORD** God of Israel: 'Let My people go!'"

When neither shaft nor answer came, he and Aaron got themselves into the boat on which they stood. Caleb and Joshua rowed the boat out into the River and made their way over to the other side, among the bull-rushes where Moses had been found as a child. Here the two prophets disembarked and stood before Pharaoh.

"There have been rumors that there was no water in the wells of Goshen for seven days when the Nile ran red." The Pharaoh asked. "Furthermore, I hear that the frogs and lice tormented your people as well. Cannot your God protect His own people? Or is this God of yours nothing, and all that has transpired has been the natural way of things?"

"Any fool can see through your deceptions!" Jambres said. "First the waters dried up because of red mud, then the frogs find it unfit to live in them and they leave. They burned in the sun, and without the frogs, the insects they eat run rampant."

"Nothing you have done is beyond the power of the earth, the power of the gods." Janis added.

Moses shook his head, whispered something to Aaron, then stepped back as his brother spoke.

"The **LORD** God of Israel shall make it plain that He punishes those who have cursed His people in slavery." Aaron began. "That you may know that what is done is by the hand of God, and not of this earth; the **LORD** has said: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me, or else, if thou will not, tomorrow I will send forth swarms of flies upon the people of Egypt, both thyself and thy servants, into thy houses and upon the very ground. But in the land of Goshen there shall be not a single fly among My people.'"

"Begone, fool!" the prince shouted. "If flies will swarm the land, it is because of the lack of frogs, not from your God!"

A laugh rose up among those around Pharaoh.

The prophet and Aaron departed without another word.

* * *

><p>A black, buzzing sea filled all the land of Egypt, save for a wide arc around the land of Goshen, where not a single fly came to rest. The smallest cone of no-fly space followed around two figures as they walked back to the palace of the Pharaoh. The entire land stank, and both of them had their veils over their faces.<p>

Though one had it over his face since the start.

They were now in the hall of the Pharaoh. His guards stood with their shields up, trying to create a barrier against the flies. The servants with their fans covered the Pharaoh within the shield-wall, but still flies were finding their way through every breach in their armor.

The sound of a staff rapping upon the shields echoed inside the shield-wall.

"Open!"

A small opening appeared in the barrier, and the Hand that kept the flies off Moses and Aaron now extended towards the Pharaoh.

"Desert-prophet," he began. Then, thinking better of it, he said the prophet's name. "Moses. The flies destroy the land, it is not safe for anything to be eaten or touched when all is corrupted. Therefore I give you and your people permission to sacrifice unto your God here in Egypt."

"We cannot do this," Aaron returned. "We would be sacrificing what is considered abominable in the sight of the children of Egypt. How can we do so and not be stoned to death?"

The Pharaoh mused over this a while, trying to weigh in his mind what would be the wisest decision.

"Very well," he concluded. "You shall be given leave to sacrifice to your God in the wilderness, but you shall not go a day's journey beyond our borders."

"As you wish it, mighty one." Aaron bowed.

"First," the Pharaoh raised his hand. "Entreat for me before your God that He take the flies out of the land."

"Today," Moses began. "I w-w..."

"Speak up!" Pharaoh shouted. "With so many flies I can barely hear myself speak! I cannot afford you to mumble in my presence!"

Moses turned to Aaron and whispered his instructions.

"This very day," Aaron translated. "We shall leave your presence and entreat the **LORD** that the swarms of flies be gone from out of the land of Egypt."

Pharaoh nodded and they prepared to leave.

"Although," Moses said. "The **LORD** requests that you do not d-d-d-...lie to Him and to His servants, as you did when the frogs were t-t-taken away from the land."

"So let it be written," Pharaoh said, regarding his promise. "So let it be done."

* * *

><p>Any indication of the once prosperous land that Egypt had once been was no more. The grass and the fertile flood-plains were spoiled by the blood, the fruit and many of the plants were defiled by the flies. It looked like all was a great plain of desolation.<p>

Here the prophet and Aaron met before the Pharaoh as he left the ceremony of the summoning of the Sun.

"Mighty one," Aaron announced. "We have entreated of our **LORD** the God of Israel to remove the flies from out of your land, and it is so. Do the Children of Israel..."

"What you have done is no miracle, you stammering fool of a prophet and your silver-tongued mouth-piece!" Neferhotep returned. "Your God did not remove the flies from my land, nor shall your people be allowed to leave Egypt. Now get back to your burdens!"

Moses whispered into Aaron's ear.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD**," Aaron announced. "'Let My people go that they may serve Me. For if you will not, behold, tomorrow My hand shall be upon your cattle, your horses, your camels, your donkeys and your sheep, and I shall strike them with a great malady that they shall die. Furthermore, that you may know that these things are not done of this earth, I shall separate the beasts of the Children of Israel from the beasts of Egypt, that not one of the animals of Israel shall die."

"If the animals die," the prince shouted. "It will be because of the flies, not because of your God!"

"We shall soon see." Aaron said.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN:)**


	11. Boils of Egypt

**(AN: Long time no see. That's because I've been busy with other stories and lots of other issues, as well as getting addicted to _tumblr_. But since this one is more or less finished, I've decided to get it uploaded now and hopefully continue with this epic. Now sit back and enjoy)**

* * *

><p><strong>Boils of Egypt<strong>

A month had gone by since Moses' return into the land of Egypt. All throughout the land was desolation. A few of the sturdy plants were coming back to life, but few animals outside of Goshen could eat them. Carcasses of beasts littered the now barren lanes of Memphis and Pithon.

Once more, Moses and Aaron were called before the presence of the Pharaoh. However, once they entered the throne room, they saw the prince sitting upon his father's throne.

"Ill tidings to you, workers of evil." he spat at them.

"What we do, my prince, we do by the will of God." Aaron said.

"God?" the prince mocked. "What you have done is no miracle." He got up from his throne, strutting proudly about them as if he were already a king. "Jambres' red mud poisoned the river, the frogs naturally left, dying in the heat of the day, and let loose flies and lice upon the people. Those fiends swarmed about the dead frogs and the dead fish, and when they bit our cows, the beasts died."

"How, then, does my prince explain how none of the beasts of the Children of Israel are even thin, much less dead?" Aaron inquired.

"The work of your God? He is a cruel god, then, to smite down Egypt so. A tyrant!"

"These plagues need not occur." Aaron said. "There is one answer."

"Enough!" roared the prince. "You've been too free with your tongue!" His hand reached for his sword.

"That's not necessary, my son!" Neferhotep said. He walked into the throne room, taking the throne from his son. "The magic tricks of this fool have not harmed the god-king in any way."

The prince bowed before his father. "My lord, is not the foot of the Pharaoh the proper place for a slave? I merely wished to put him where he belongs!"

"In time, my son." the Pharaoh said fondly as he took his seat. His steely eyes turned to Moses and Aaron. "Your God demands that I let His people go, does He not?"

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel." Aaron announced.

"And as I've said these past five times," the Pharaoh returned. "I do not know your God, nor will I let His people go."

"You shall see the wonders of His hand!" Aaron returned.

"Wonders?" the Pharaoh laughed. "What wonders has your God done that are beyond the power of the Earth? Tell me that, mouth-piece!"

Moses waved Aaron over and whispered something in his ear, to which Aaron nodded and then waited as Moses walked over to one of the braziers at the entrance of the palace. He placed his hands upon it and gave it a shake, after which some of the ashes fell upon the floor beneath it. Bending down, he scooped up a small portion of ash in his hand. Moses then walked forward before the Pharaoh and with a wave of his hand, sent the ash into the air and floating towards the ground.

The prince was the first one to cry out. He collapsed onto his knees, his hands groping at his nearly-bald head. A hideous pustule appeared, reddish and oozing with a sickly yellow shade of phlegm. The Pharaoh was next, followed by some of the guards who sat watch at the entrance.

"What evil is this?" Pharaoh said to them.

"The **LORD** has commanded us," Aaron said. "To sprinkle ashes before you in your sight, that they will become grevious boils upon you and your cattle."

"Guards! Bring me the High Priests at once!" Pharaoh said, screaming in pain as another sore exploded on the small of his back.

The guards bowed and ran to do their mission. Meanwhile, Moses and Aaron stood before the Pharaoh, completely unharmed by the boils. Mere moments passed before the guards returned empty-handed.

"Am I not Pharaoh?" Neferhotep growled at his servants. "Is not my voice your commandment?"

"Mighty one," one of the guards said, bowing before the Pharaoh. "Your pardon, please, but the High Priests are afflicted by the same boils that harm us. They are defiled and cannot stand before you, my lord!"

Pharaoh walked over to the soldier, took out his curved blade and hacked off his head. Almost immediately, boils erupted from his hands, causing the Pharaoh to drop the sword in his agony. His eyes turned towards Moses and Aaron.

"No little rash will save your people, slaves!" he shouted, as another sore exploded milky-yellow pus that oozed down his arm.

Moses and Aaron bowed and then departed.

* * *

><p>They were now staying in the house of Amram, the one that Miriam and Aaron tended after their mother and father died. The boys were busy with either chores, like the two younger ones, or some mischief as Nadab and Abihu were accustom. Elishebah was busy in the kitchen while Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Caleb and Joshua sat at the table.<p>

"The Pharaoh refused to relent." Aaron stated.

"Again?" Joshua asked. "What kind of fool fights a losing battle?"

"His heart is full of doubt," Aaron said. "The High Priests of Egypt have convinced him and the prince that the miracles of our God are things of this world." He continued. "You can see how, the water turns red, sending the frogs out of the river, then they die and the flies and lice they eat grow in abundance, growing fat on the dead fish and frogs and then bite the cattle of Egypt."

"They'll be blaming these boils on the flies, then?" Joshua wondered.

"I believe so," Aaron stated.

"As it should be, I suppose." Caleb stated.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked. "Surely you can see what those serpent-tongued charlatans are doing, they're poisoning the mind and heart of the Pharaoh with their lies!"

"That's certain enough," Caleb said. "But remember Father Abraham, he had to walk by faith when all seemed against him, like that day on Mt. Moriah. I feel that is the way our **LORD** God works, mysteriously, so that our faith is based on Him and not on sensational miracles."

Joshua nodded. Miriam looked over at her brother.

"Moses?" she asked. "Are you well? You look weak." She then chuckled. "Remember, you're a child of our father and mother, and we're known for our strength of body, not weakness."

"T-The **LORD** spoke to me," Moses stammered. "Just now."

A hush fell upon the room. Even Nadab and Abihu paused to hear what was being talked about in the other room, among the elders.

"What did He say?" Aaron asked.

"First," Moses returned. "Tell me about Sodom and Gomorrah."

"What's there to tell?" Miriam scoffed. "Wicked places, as vile as ever. Cesspits of evil, as the legends say. It's said the things one hears whispered about happening at night in the temples of Egypt were common-place in Sodom and Gomorrah, happening in the middle of the city, in broad daylight, in public places, no less!"

"Better left where they lie, in ruins." Caleb answered.

"W-What happened?"

"God's judgment, Moses." Miriam began. "The **LORD** sent two messengers to find Godly people in the city. Father Abraham begged the **LORD** to spare the city if as few as ten righteous souls were found in either city - He found four."

"Two of whom were not willing to leave the city!" Aaron stated.

"They ran into the city of Zoar," Miriam continued. "Which the **LORD** spared on their behalf. Once they were inside, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with fire and brimstone." She turned back to Moses. "Why do you ask?"

Moses' face fell down in despair. He had hoped that it would not come to this, that the people who had raised him, saved him from the Nile, would be spared or at least given a chance to know the **LORD** as the people of Israel did.

It seemed that would not be the case.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Another reason is that I wrote a very well-done flash-back of the Sodom and Gomorrah story, and am debating over whether having it as part of this story or as a one-off. PLEASE give your opinions on that subject in the reviews. I may open a new poll for it instead, idk. But it will be good, I can promise you)<strong>


	12. Fire and Ice

**(AN: I decided to keep it! This story will not only tell the Exodus, but have bits and pieces of the rest of the _Torah_ in as well, where it fits most appropriately. After all, they are the "Five Books of Moses", and therefore he had to have known about them in order to write them down. [lol], though divine inspiration is my guess)**

**(Thank you for reviewing, _hylomorpher_. You can read 'exploding sores' however you want, it fits either way.)**

**(An OC from _Joshua_ appears in the flash-back. Let me just state again that that angel takes on feminine form only when appearing before man. Artistic license and such, since angels are neither male nor female.)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Fire and Ice<strong>

"Hail, mighty Pharaoh." Aaron greeted. He and Moses were back in his presence, accompanied by Caleb and Joshua. The morning was still early, and though the Pharaoh and his entourage looked much better off than they did while under the affect of the boils, they didn't look any more pleasant in their countenances towards them.

"You're wasting your time, mouth-piece!" Pharaoh groaned in annoyance. "My answer remains the same."

"Then the **LORD** shall..." Aaron began.

"Wait!"

All eyes turned to the speaker. Moses was now standing up tall, his staff in hand and strength in his voice.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of the Hebrews," Moses said. "'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For at this time I will send all My plagues upon thy heart, and upon thy servants and thy people: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto me in all the Earth. I shall stretch out My hand and smite thy people with pestilence and thou shalt be cut off from all the Earth.

"'Indeed, for this very cause I raised you up, Pharaoh, to show thee My power; that My name may be declared throughout all the Earth. Yet thou exalt thyself against My chosen people, refusing to let them go?'"

Pharaoh rose up in indignation, striking Moses down with his fist.

"I am Egypt!" he shouted. "Son of the gods! How dare you say that your God has power over the gods of Egypt!"

"This day it shall be proven, mighty Pharaoh," Aaron continued. "That..."

But Pharaoh was not looking at Aaron, instead at Moses. He had fallen, and his veil had slipped down from off his face. A light like the sun was shining from Moses' face. It was only for a brief moment, for he realized that his veil was gone from his face and quickly replaced it.

"I know not what sorcery causes your face to shine, prophet of slaves," Pharaoh said with contempt. "But nothing your God has done is beyond the power of the Earth! Therefore your threats are idle, since you have no power over me and my people."

Moses was now back on his feet, and whispered to Aaron. The spokesman looked surprised, then shook his gray head, his beard shaking as he did, turned back to the Pharaoh and announced.

"Send for your servants, mighty Pharaoh," he said. "And all the cattle in the field. Have them get themselves in-doors, for tomorrow the **LORD** God of Israel shall send forth a very grievous hail of fire, such hath never been seen in Egypt from its foundation until now!"

"My people will stay where they are!" Pharaoh shouted.

"Please, great one!" Aaron insisted. "Our God shows mercy to your people before the plague has stricken. Let your people..."

"They stay where they are!" Pharaoh shouted. "Or they will surely die!"

Aaron nodded and then he left, with Moses, Caleb and Joshua coming up after them. They left the door, then one spoke.

"My lord," the princess said. "We cannot let the people stay in the fields."

"The people brought this calamity upon themselves," Pharaoh said. "If that prophet seeks to harm Pharaoh, why should my people not stand with me?"

"But you cannot let your beloved subjects die at..."

"Silence!" The Pharaoh struck his daughter upon the face, sending her down upon the steps. "You should know your place, wench!" He turned to his son. "Now, my son, we have business to attend to."

"Yes, father." the prince bowed, not even looking back at his little sister as they left the hall.

* * *

><p>Once they left the hall of the Egyptians, the Hebrews decided that it was safe to speak.<p>

"Do you think they will obey him?" Joshua asked.

"All has turned to madness!" Aaron groaned. "In the hardness of his heart, the Pharaoh damns his own people to suffer through the same way ordained for him!"

"We can't let this happen, though!" Joshua said. "They may be our masters, but Pharaoh orders them to their deaths!"

"Moses?" Aaron asked.

"G-Go unto the people," Moses said. "Find those who f-f-f- who fear the **LORD**, and tell them t-t-t-t-to get their livestock and their p-p-provisions into safety, b-b-before the hail comes."

"Yes, Moses." Caleb said. He then turned to his companion with a smile on his face. "Come Joshua, we're off to save our task-masters."

The two took off to do as they were instructed, and Moses and Aaron returned to Goshen. They had all the rest of the day to warn the people of Egypt of the coming doom, for it would not happen until the morning. For Moses, at least, it seemed that the day was wasting away too quickly.

At last night fell. Even Nadab and Abihu became tired and fell asleep the moment they hit their straw beds. Miriam, Elishebah and Aaron were all dead asleep, as were the other of Aaron's sons. Moses, however, could not sleep. The fear of what was to happen tomorrow shook him to the core.

Why was this going on? Did God show no mercy to His enemies?

As he struggled with these thoughts, he sat himself against the wall and sleep filled his eyes at last.

* * *

><p><em>"It's an open-and-shut case, if you ask me." the first one whispered.<em>

_"Yes, but He is giving them a chance to prove themselves." the second, a female, added._

_"Why do they even need a chance to prove themselves?" the first asked. "You've seen them: they lie with man, woman, child, even beasts, eating until they cannot even move themselves. False witnesses, cheaters, thieves and murdering are common-place for them. It's the Antediluvian people all over again."_

_"But He let them be for over a thousand years before He sent judgment upon them." said she. "His mercy allows that they be allowed to show themselves once more before His judgment."_

_The two figures approached the city gates just as nightfall was setting upon the city. As they approached, a rather rich-looking man appeared before them._

_"Welcome, strangers, to the city of Sodom!" he greeted. "The hour is late; please, I beg you, come into my home, have something to eat and wash the desert dust off your feet: by morning's light, you may be about your business."_

_"Thank you, sir," the woman said. "But we will stay in the streets tonight."_

_A look of panic came over the man's face as he walked closer to them._

_"I should not be saying this," he whispered to them. "But it isn't safe to walk the streets of Sodom and Gomorrah even by daylight. I beg you, in the name of the Most High God, stay with me this night."_

_The two strangers looked at each other, nodded, and then turned to the man._

_"We will abide with you this night." the first said._

_"Ah, thank you." the man said, bowing low. "I am Lot, son of Haran. Come with me, my house is but a little ways from the city-gate. I keep watch over them for the queen of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah."_

_"You therefore have occasion to see many people come in and out of the city?" the woman asked._

_"Oh yes," Lot said. "I have been here a long time, me and my wife. And our servants, as well."_

_"You seem to be rather wealthy." the man stated._

_"By the grace of the Most High God." Lot said. "My uncle, Abram, son of Terah..."_

_"Abraham." corrected the woman._

_"I beg your pardon?"_

_"Has not the **LORD** changed his name to Abraham?" she asked._

_"I do not know." Lot mused. "But then again, I haven't spoken to my uncle since the War."_

_"What war?" the man asked._

_"Several years ago, the King of Sodom broke tribute with the King of Elam. They declared war: Elam and his allies against Sodom and her allies. No one would have foreseen how that battle turned out."_

_"Why?" asked the man._

_"Well, four kings against five, one would think the alliance of Sodom would have defeated Chedorlaomer's confederacy. But the Battle of the Wadi Shittim spelled victory for the confederacy."_

_"Why?" the woman asked. "What happened?"_

_"Wadi Shittim is a dangerous place, full of quick-sand." Lot said. "The armies of Sodom were not trained for battle and they lost. Then the confederacy entered the city and took us captive."_

_"Us?"_

_"I was captured as well." Lot added. "But, my uncle, Abram son of Terah, as he was called back then, came to my rescue. He had a small army of his own, the Amorites under prince Mamre and three hundred eighteen of his own servants. They attacked the confederates by night and drove them all the way to Damascus. We were rescued!"_

_"And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah paid him nothing?" the man asked._

_"Oh, they tried." Lot stated, looking right and left before they turned a corner into a dark alley. "It looks suspicious - what doesn't in Sodom - but the alleys are often-times safer than the streets."_

_"I see." the man said, looking about as well._

_"Anyway," Lot said, continuing to lead them on. "The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah offered him whatever he wished, but Abram refused to take anything that was not his, though he let Mamre and his brothers take what spoils they would. Though he accepted a blessing from the King of Salem."_

_Both of the strangers smiled._

_"Ah, here's the place." Lot said, indicating a small house on the back-side of the town near the wall. He knocked on the door, a porthole opened, and the eye of his wife appeared._

_"It's me, woman, open the door!"_

_The porthole closed, and the sound of locks being unhinged followed. By the way Lot moved about nervously, the strangers knew that he was eager to be in doors. Once the doors opened, Lot ushered his guests in and closed and locked the door behind himself._

_"Who are these with you, husband?" Lot's wife asked._

_"Oh, pardon me." Lot said, almost out of breath. "Uh, what are your names again?"_

_"I am called Gabriel." the man said._

_"I am called Sherael." the woman said, with a nod of her head._

_"And this is my wife, Ildith." Lot introduced._

_"Are these married?" she asked._

_"No," Gabriel said. "She is my sister. I am her brother."_

_"What brings you to the city of Sodom, might I ask?" Ildith asked._

_"We are come to see the people of the city." Sherael said._

_"You can see the people later." Lot said. "Right now, you must rest." He turned to his wife. "Are the others home yet?"_

_"Not the servants. They're at a festival of some sort. But Shuah and Maleb are still here." was her reply._

_"Good, tell them to prepare food and water for our guests." Lot said._

_At once, they got themselves busy with preparing food for the two guests. Before either of them could offer a word of protest, Lot and Ildith came with their daughters, offering bread and water for the guests. They accepted these, and prepared to break bread when Lot held out his hand._

_"If it pleases you," Lot said. "Might I offer a word of thanks to the Most High God?"_

_"It would be an honor." Gabriel said. He and Sherael then lowered their heads and clenched their hands together tightly._

_"Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the World, who brings to us bread from the earth." Lot prayed, eyes lifted up to heaven._

_"Amen!" Gabriel and Sherael said in fervent unison._

_As they began eating, a knock came at the door._

_More like the pounding of many fists._

_"Open up!" a voice shouted._

_"We know you're in there, Heb!" a drunken voice slurred._

_"We know you brought those strangers with you!" a woman's voice cried out._

_"Wait here." Lot whispered._

_He then ran to the door, unbolted it and stood out on the doorstep of his house._

_"Please, my friends, why have you called at my house at so late an hour?" he asked._

_"Well, you see," one of them, a rather strange-looking man, with a beard like a man yet wearing a woman's dress. "Me and the boys saw a couple of strangers follow you home last night."_

_"And?"_

_"Well, we're a bit lonely as it is, can't you see?"_

_"We want to know them!"_

_"We want to know every inch of them!"_

_"So, then, Hebrew, why not?" their leader asked. "Let us have our way with them."_

_Lot seemed to be physically repulsed by what they said, nigh on to discharging the contents of his stomach._

_"Please, don't do such a wicked thing!" he begged._

_"Wicked?" one asked. "This sojourner thinks he's a judge now!"_

_"I have two daughters, virgins at that!" Lot said. "Please, I beg you, let me bring them out to you! My own flesh and blood!" His voice was in tears. "Do what you will with them, but don't harm these guests!"_

_"Stand aside, old bastard!" one shouted._

_"Or do you want more of the same?" a woman's lecherous voice said._

_"Believe me, Hebrew," the dress-wearing man said, pressing himself closer to Lot than was comfortable. "Your words have cost you a worse fate than what were going to do those strangers!"_

_"Break the door down!" another shouted._

_Just then, the bolts on the door flew open. A strong hand seized Lot from behind._

_"**SHUT THE DOOR!**" Gabriel cried out._

_"Get them!" one of the women shouted._

_But no sooner had Gabriel tossed Lot back into his house then Sherael sealed the door and bolted it fast._

_"Who-who are you?" Lot asked, still feeling the grip of Gabriel's hand upon his shoulder._

_"We are messengers from the Most High God." Gabriel said. "Are there any others of your people in the city besides your wife and daughters?"_

_"Well, yes." Lot said. "My servants, two sons, several sons-in-law, their wives, and the wives of my sons..."_

_"Go with him," Sherael said to Gabriel. "I'll stay with Ildith and the others."_

_"But what about...?"_

_"They are blind." Gabriel said. "They can't even find themselves, much less the door. Now get your sons and your daughters and prepare to leave Sodom immediately."_

_"Leave? Why?"_

_"The cry of this city's wickedness has reached the ears of the Most High God." Gabriel said. "And as it was in the days of Noah, so it shall now also be. This city will be destroyed."_

_"Destroyed?" Lot repeated._

_"Burned with fire and brimstone!" Gabriel added. "Now up, find your children and warn them of the danger! I will be with you."_

A few hours later...

_"None of them?" Gabriel asked, with great urgency in his voice._

_"They said I was one that mocked." Lot said almost with disbelief in his voice, as he knocked once again upon the door of his house._

_"Then they have made their choice." Gabriel said. "They have chosen the lust of Sodom over the commands of God."_

_"But can we not try again?" Lot begged. "Please, they are my children."_

_"You said they did not believe you." Gabriel said. "The dawn will soon be here, we must get out of the city now."_

_Ildith opened the door from within, and the two entered. They found her and her daughters standing there, with Sherael pacing the floor._

_"Why aren't they ready?" Gabriel asked._

_"They're afraid!" Sherael said._

_They turned. It was true. The poor humans were shaking, Ildith did not even look at her husband's face, and the two young women were crying._

_"Why are you afraid?" Sherael asked. "You will not die, you will be saved from the destruction."_

_"Please, I beg you!" Lot said, throwing himself at their feet. "Is the Most High God so cruel that He will not give mercy to the cities of the Plain of Jordan? Is He so blood-thirsty that He must destroy everyone who does not bow before Him?"_

_"The people of Sodom had their time." Gabriel said. "They had a chance to know God when your uncle saved them from the Elamites."_

_"But they refused. Even now, having perverted the image of God, they seek to pervert His servants!" Sherael said with disgust._

_"Please, spare the city!" Lot said._

_"Stop wasting time!" Gabriel insisted. "We must leave now!"_

_"The fires of judgment will not hold forever." Sherael warned._

_"Please!" whined Lot. "Let the Most High God show mercy."_

_Gabriel and Sherael had ceased listening, but instead were looking at each other._

_"Take him and her." she said._

_"Take the women." he said._

_"What are you doing?" Lot asked through blood-shot eyes as strong hands fixated themselves around his robes._

_"Let me go!" Ildith shouted, as she and the others were being dragged out of their house and through the streets._

_"We are showing you mercy!" Gabriel shouted._

_"Let loose your hand off my robe!" begged Shuah._

_"You're hurting me!" Maleb whined._

_"Better a little rash than burned alive by the fires of judgment!" Sherael said._

_"I hoped it would not come to this..." Gabriel said._

_"But you leave us no choice!" Sherael added._

_"You call this mercy?" Lot shouted._

_"Help!" Ildith cried out._

_"God is merciful, even in judgment, or else He would let you die in Sodom and Gomorrah!" Gabriel said._

_"Know that your uncle pleaded for the cities of the Plain on your behalf!" Sherael said._

_"But we found not even ten who listened to the warning of God!"_

_"It would be a great offense to the people of the Earth if God let Sodom and Gomorrah last any longer!"_

_"And that justifies this genocide? This destruction?" Lot shouted._

_"It is not genocide." Gabriel said. "The **LORD** is not a tyrant, delighting in the deaths of man."_

_"He created man on the Sixth Day." Sherael began._

_"And from Adam and Eve came all the children of men."_

_"He is the Creator of all mankind."_

_"Your Eternal Father."_

_"He alone has the right to punish transgressors!"_

_"And to give mercy to His beloved!_

_"And that mercy He gives to you now!"_

_"Escape for your lives!"_

_"Look not behind you! Do not even stay in the plain of Jordan!"_

_By this time, they had come outside the walls of the city of Sodom. With strong hands, they threw Lot and his family forward, towards the hills to the east._

_"**ESCAPE TO THE MOUNTAINS, LET THOU BE CONSUMED!**" Gabriel shouted._

_"The day is at hand, go now!" urged Sherael._

_"Please, I beg you!" Lot moaned, grovelling at the feet of the angels. "Some evil might slay me and my family in the wilderness. Let us go to the city of Belah, it is but a little city not far from here. please don't let us go into the mountains!"_

_"Go then to Zoar, if you will." Gabriel said, almost disgusted._

_"But you must go now!" Sherael said._

_"**AND LOOK NOT BEHIND THEE!**" they both admonished, returning once again into the Light._

* * *

><p>Moses awoke in a cold sweat. It was clear to him now, the heavy burden that lay before him. He felt ashamed for ever questioning the LORD God. The task still lay before him, for the people were not yet freed.<p>

It would not be any easier, though.

* * *

><p>The dawn had at last risen upon the land of Egypt. Just outside the city of Goshen, upon a hill that looked towards Memphis, Moses, Aaron and Caleb and Joshua stood upon its summit.<p>

"Have the Egyptians been warned?" Moses asked.

"Yes, Moses." Caleb said. "Most have gone into their houses to seek shelter."

"Most?" Aaron asked. "Not all?"

"Many are like the Pharaoh," Joshua said. "They have no regard to the command of the **LORD**."

Moses sighed.

"They refused mercy when it was g-given them," he said. "There is n-nothing more we can do."

Moses rose his rod up to the morning sky. To their surprise and great shock, they saw a black cloud forming in the empty sky. Lightning began shooting out from its billows as it began to gather across the whole sky. The sound of rain could be heard, followed by balls of burning hail. Memphis, the city of the Pharaoh, was in flames. The smoke was rising up to mix with the reek of clouds in the sky.

The dark cloud was now covering all of the land. It was now coming towards the city of Goshen at a great pace.

Suddenly, the clouds halted, stopping like a wave crashing against an unmovable rock upon the side of the ocean. It would not go into the city of Goshen. All around their little hill, burning hail struck the earth, singeing wherever it touched with great fire. Many fell within a few inches of their hill, but the heat did not harm them.

They turned back to their homes. Soon they would be summoned before the Pharaoh and it would all begin over again.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: The names of Lot's wife and daughters come from the 1963 sword-n-sandal movie <em>Sodom and Gomorrah.<em> Some of the dialogue with the angels I came up with, since it sort of helps Moses with his doubts about what he has to do. As much as I want to keep Moses a super-human figure, like in _The Ten Commandments_, I still want to make him a little human with some doubts and fears as well. After all, if he was perfect, he wouldn't have killed the Egyptian.)**

**(The whole 'send for the people to come in from the fields' thing actually came from the Bible. They usually leave that out of every other adaption of the Exodus, but I thought it stood to be included. I also have something special planned for Pharaoh's daughter later on.)**

**(I did not know that Stephen Schwartz, composer of "Defying Gravity" and many other hits from _Wicked_, also composed the music for _Prince of Egypt_. I listened to "Let My People Go" from _Prince of Egypt_ while writing this part as well as while re-writing it. I know its a bit corny, especially having the villain sing [i don't like when villains sing in musicals, especially Disney movies, because they're usually baritones and that makes me sad. But _Wicked_ can be excused since The Wizard's not that bad sounding], but it fit with what I was writing.)**


	13. The Swarm

**(AN: Grr, talk about slow internet! This will take forever to update!)**

**(Anywho, I've added a little more to this chapter, since I will not be skimming over any of the plagues. My intent is to give the listener the sense of repetition that actually would have taken place after ten times of 'bringing down the thunder', then ten times of 'yes i will' followed by 'no i won't.' You'd get upset, wouldn't you? I know I would!)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Swarm<strong>

The fires in Memphis rose to the heavens. Dust clouds miles high were billowing up to meet the dark reek of the storm that brought down the hail. Those who feared the **LORD** were inside, along with their animals. Even the people of Israel, protected within the city of Goshen, dared not step out of doors, for fear of what they saw all around them.

Only one dared walk in the fire.

Run was the correct word.

A small figure, wearing a heavy cloak, ran in fear towards the shelter of Goshen. As soon as it passed the barrier of protection, the figure stumbled upon the earth. But a small trip was not enough to deter it from its mission. Rising clumsily to its feet, it ran on until it came to a door, upon which it knocked loud and hard.

The door opened, and she collapsed into the doorway.

"Caleb, bring him in!" Aaron insisted.

The strong man lifted the hooded and cloaked figure off of the floor and took it over to the bed-room, laying down upon the bed.

"Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Elishebah, come here at once!" Caleb shouted.

They came as requested.

Caleb knelt over the figure, whose hood had fallen off.

"It's an Egyptian woman." he said.

"Look at the jewels she wears." Elishebah said. "She must be a nomarch's daughter."

"No, I've seen her before." Miriam said. "She was at the throne room, the day we came before the Pharaoh." Miriam let out a cry. "This is the daughter of the house of Pharaoh!"

Silence followed her exclamation.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Aaron asked. "Bring food and water."

They dispersed, leaving Moses, Aaron and Caleb at the side of the fainted princess.

The cloak the princess wore was blackened and scorched, as if she had come too close to the hail. In some places it had burned all the way through to her flesh, and it was reddened in some places.

Miriam and Elishebah returned with water and food, and Aaron went to find a physician among the Hebrews.

Moses took the hem of his own robe, dipped it in the water and applied it to the wounds on the princess. Slowly, by reason of the water, she returned to consciousness.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"In the house of Aaron, son of Amram." was his reply.

"Where are Moses and Aaron?" she asked weakly, trying to rise from where she lay. "I must speak with them."

"I am Moses, my b-brother will soon return with a physician."

"I am Tethys, daughter of the almighty Pharaoh Neferhotep." she said.

"Well we can see how almighty the Pharaoh is right now, can't we?" Miriam asked sarcastically.

"Please, Moses!" she said, disregarding Miriam's ire. "My father would speak with you immediately."

A few minutes later, Aaron returned with the physician. After examining the princess, he concluded that no serious harm had befallen her. After he left and was paid in sheep's wool by Elishebah, Moses got up and took his staff in hand.

"Gather your cloak, daughter of Pharaoh." he said. Then he turned to his brother. "And you as well, Aaron."

"Wait, we're going?" Aaron asked. "In this storm?"

"The **L-LORD** God said that Goshen shall be p-p-protected." Moses stammered.

"Goshen, yes. But once we leave it? What then?"

"Then may the **LORD** be with us." Moses said with confidence.

* * *

><p>It was even worse than either of them could have imagined.<p>

Trees burned like torches in the night sky, heat was all around him, and the smell of burning flesh filled the nostrils of Moses and Aaron. Moreover, the sights of destruction were everywhere. The hail blackened the buildings it fell upon, and caught fire to anyone it hit. Even worse, the cries of the people of Egypt filled the air as loudly as the roaring thunder and the explosive hail.

Before the palace stood the Pharaoh, hiding beneath his cloak. Farther away, his son cowered whimpering beneath a shield from one of the guards. Many had deserted their posts out of fear or by the warning to seek shelter. Those who did not hid within the palace, hoping that the Pharaoh would protect them. Here the three figures, shrouded and swathed in their hoods and cloaks, came to a stop before the 'great and mighty' Pharaoh.

"Moses!" the Pharaoh cried out. Fear was in his voice.

"Enough!" he shouted, tears in his eyes. "I know now that I have sinned, that my people and I are wicked, and your God is righteous! Ask Him to take away the hail and the fire, and I will let your people go!"

Moses felt strength rest upon his tongue, and it seemed that the **LORD** was having him speak directly to the Pharaoh, rather than through Aaron.

"I will go out of the city," he said. "And stretch my hands before the **LORD**, and the hail and thunder will cease and there will no more be fire upon the ground. Though I know that you do not fear God, and will not let His people go."

"We're hiding for our lives," the prince simperingly shouted. "Cowering in pots and ditches, and you say we're insincere? Your God must love torturing us!"

"Have we not come before you these six times already," Aaron said. "And you and your father have hardened your hearts against us? How do we know that you will uphold your promise upon the seventh time?"

"It is enough!" Pharaoh shouted. "Just take the hail away!"

"So it shall be done, mighty one." Aaron said.

Moses then brought forward the figure who cowered behind him.

"Behold your daughter, Pharaoh." Aaron said. "She brought us here at your request."

Tethys walked over to her father, and the Israelites made their way back to Goshen, trying hard to ignore the fire that was all around them. It was a long walk through burning city streets, an inferno of houses and burning fields of barley and flax. At last they came to the walls of the city, unmanned by soldiers whose bravery was outmatched by their desire to live.

Once outside, Moses lifted up his hands before the city and all the land.

The sun broke through the black clouds, the fire died and the hail ceased to fall down. Huge balls of black ice, ten talents or more in weight, littered the broken and burned cities. The charred smell of brick houses, barley and human flesh filled the air and Moses and Aaron covered their faces with their veils as they surveyed the damage. The still air hung with the cries of the people as they saw their loved ones and their goods lying broken and dead about them.

"Moses..."

"**LORD**?" he asked. Aaron looked about, as it seemed, to his ears, that his brother was speaking to the wind.

"Return unto Pharaoh," He ordered. "He has hardened his heart against Me, that I may show forth My wonders before him."

"Why, **LORD**?" Moses asked. "Why must there be more? Is not seven times enough?"

"You and your people shall tell of what I have done unto your children and your children's children, that you may know that **I AM** the **LORD**."

Moses nodded.

"Who are you talking to, brother?" Aaron asked.

"The **LORD**." he answered.

"What did He say?" Aaron asked.

"We go back to Pharaoh." Moses replied.

"But we were just there!"

"And the **LORD** w-wants us back ag-g-gain."

Moses turned around and made back for the palace of Memphis. Aaron simply shrugged and ran off to keep pace with his brother.

* * *

><p>"Behold, the hail is gone." Aaron said, as he and Moses stood once again before the Pharaoh. "Will you now free the people of Israel?"<p>

"I will not be threatened by a slave and his tyrant-God!" the Pharaoh shouted. "I am Egypt, the child of the Sun: I know not your God, neither will I let Israel go!"

Moses leaned over and whispered into his brother's ear. Aaron nodded and then turned back to the Pharaoh.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel," he began as he had before.

"Let me guess, 'Let My people go?'" Pharaoh asked.

"No, mighty one." Aaron corrected.

"Well, this is a change." the prince commented arrogantly.

"Hear the words of the **LORD**," Aaron said. "'How long, O Pharaoh, will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go that they may serve Me. Or, if thou will not, behold, tomorrow I will send a great swarm of locusts - greater than has ever been seen in Egypt unto the days of your fathers' fathers - to devour all that the hail did not destroy. And they will cover the earth, and fill your houses and eat every growing tree in your land!'"

The two then prepared to depart. They walked through the doors, which the guards were more than happy to close loudly after them.

"Please, mighty Pharaoh!" Jambres wailed, crawling before the Pharaoh on all fours like a dog. "How much longer will he entrap us?"

"Let the Hebrews go, great one!" Janis howled.

"Please, father!" Tethys entreated, kneeling before her father the Pharaoh. "Do you not hear the cry of your people? They suffer because you will not show mercy, neither to them or to the slaves. Do you not even know that Egypt is destroyed?"

Pharaoh rose to his feet, took his royal crook in hand and struck his daughter across the face with it, sending her down off the pedestal, sprawled on the floor.

"No daughter of mine shows weakness against her father's enemies!" he shouted. In tears, she fled from his presence. The Pharaoh then composed himself back upon his throne.

"Show mercy, divine one!" Janis begged. "The Princess is right. The people..."

"What do the people want?" Pharaoh shouted, rising up. "The gods are useless to save them. Only I have that power."

"Such blasphemy!" Jambres mumbled.

"What will Osiris do to me for it?" Pharaoh roared at his priest. "These gods are nothing, only creations of you magicians to control men's hearts through fear."

"Egypt is broken, my lord!" Jambres said.

"We must submit to their request!" Janis added.

"There is no shame in this!"

"Submit?" Pharaoh queried. "You told me that all of his previous tricks were false, now you worship him as if HE were king instead of me!" He sat down. "Captain of the guard!"

"Yes, my lord?"

"Bring those slave-prophets back to me." Pharaoh ordered. The captain nodded, bowing before the Pharaoh and then departed.

Minutes passed and before long, the captain of the guard returned with both Moses and Aaron. They had not gone far on foot, in fact they were not even outside the limits of the city of Memphis by the time the captain had overtaken them.

"The slave-prophets, mighty Pharaoh." the captain presented. The Pharaoh waved him away, then turned the small staff in his hand towards the 'prophets.'

"If I were give you leave to go," the Pharaoh began. "Who else would go with you?"

"We will go with our young and with our old." Aaron said. "With our sons and our daughters, our flocks and our herds. We must feast and sacrifice before the **LORD**." Aaron paused. "Why does my lordship ask?"

"I have given the matter thought," Pharaoh said. "And I see not why we cannot afford three days in the wilderness, as you previously mentioned. Therefore it shall be that your men will be allowed three days to venture into the wilderness and sacrifice before the **LORD**."

"Only the men, mighty one?" Aaron asked. "But we would not have our women and children left out of the service of the **LORD!**"

"Evil haunts your footsteps," Pharaoh said. "Far be it from me to let you go with your women and children and leave all the world at the mercy of your God." His countenance fell into annoyance once again. "That is my offer, take it quickly before I harden my heart against you as an enemy once again!"

Moses and Aaron bowed and then departed, without so much as another word to their masters as they left.

* * *

><p>It seemed like they were back outside the city, exactly where they had been not but a few minutes ago when the hail ceased.<p>

"Shouldn't we give them time to wait, Moses?" Aaron asked. "They just got through the worst with this hail!"

"We cannot d-d-delay doing the will of the **LORD**!" Moses returned.

He held up his hand, which held his rod, and stretched it out over all the city and all the land of Egypt. After all was done, he put his hands down again.

Suddenly, a strong east wind struck the land of Egypt. Aaron placed his veil once more upon his face and Moses turned his eyes northward again.

"We're going back t-to Goshen, brother!" he said, through his veil as the wind began to pick up. "We have a long night ahead of us."

The two departed, back to Goshen once again. However, Aaron chanced to cast his glance out east and saw, just beneath the sun, a dark haze upon the horizon. It was moving with the wind, at a great speed, and was very strange. There were no clouds in the sky, even the black hail-storm clouds were now long gone, never to be seen in Egypt again. But what was that dark smudge upon the eastern sky?

* * *

><p>Walking back to Memphis was no easy task. Swarms of locusts covered the ground, so that one could not move without stepping on one of the infernal, chirping beasts. They were everywhere, so that every tree, every pillar, every pylon, every building and even the very air was a mound of moving, crawling, buzzing insects. Foul smells and brownish ooze followed wherever one or more of the beasts had died or been crushed by one trying to walk.<p>

At the front of the palace of the Pharaoh in Memphis, the two found the doors sealed shut. As they approached, two figures ran up out from beneath a shelter of dry wood. They were guards, and both of them were crawling with locusts.

"The Pharaoh has summoned us." Aaron said. "Quickly, his orders were to come in haste!"

The guard nodded, then turned to his comrade, who then walked over to the great, locust-covered gate. They pulled it back, crushing locusts in their path and sending a swarm of locusts buzzing towards the interior. Moses and Aaron quickly walked inside as the guards attempted to re-seal the palace.

Inside, servants worked frantically to stave off the swarms of locusts from entering the throne room. Their efforts were futile. Just as they got one space clean of locusts and moved on to another space, another horde would swoop in and defile the place that had just been cleaned. It was only a little humorous if not for the fact that they were eating up everything that was not burned by the hail.

"Moses, Aaron!" Pharaoh called out from his throne. Locusts were buzzing and chirping upon him and upon the throne, and the throne of his son the prince.

"Mighty one." Aaron greeted.

"I have sinned against God and against you," Pharaoh said. "I see that now. I ask that you forgive me of this one sin, and entreat of the **LORD** that He take the locusts away from my land."

"It shall be done, Pharaoh." Aaron replied. He and Moses then stepped away and continued back for Goshen, a ring of locust-free space wherever they walked.

"Do you think he will finally relent?" Aaron asked Moses as they departed the palace in Memphis.

"No." Moses replied.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I upload a story, having written it very well in my first draft, and it gets uploaded full of typos and 'say' used instead of 'saw'. Aside from this internet being ridiculously slow, I have to deal with THAT as well. :( )<strong>

**(Writing the new chapter as I speak. Will have it and the one after that as soon as I can, what with this horribly slow hotel internet)**

**(Sorry to rob you of your gloat-moment, but we're both right. Maestro Zimmer composed the score, but it was "the Schwartz" who wrote the songs, particularly "Let My People Go", which made that reference relevant once again)  
><strong>


	14. Darkness

**(AN: Horay for being back home! Well, home in California, that is. lol. I'm sun-burned and tired, but decided to reward my readers with this latest chapter of _Exodus_. I've added a few more parts into my story, since the rough draft skimmed through some of the plagues. As such, I've had to lengthen several parts so that it's not just a single line.)**

**(New chapter! Yay!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Darkness<strong>

Once when Aaron's staff devoured the staves of Pharaoh's magicians, again when the water turned to blood, then when the frogs came, then with the lice, the flies, the sickness of both beast and man, as well as with the hail. And now the locust. To Moses and Aaron, the streets of Memphis were so well-trod that they knew the quickest way to get to the palace. By now, many Egyptians did not throw things at them or give them hateful looks: those came from their fellow Israelites. It was insane! It had happened before Pharaoh doubled their burdens; the people begged Moses and Aaron to leave them alone. They were much more comfortable enslaved than free, and would rather masochistically return to their enslavement eagerly than accept freedom.

Nowadays, if any Egyptians saw Moses and Aaron, it was usually with more sadness and fear than with anger. They just wanted them out of the land now. Was that too much to ask? Seemingly, for the Pharaoh, that was just too much to ask. Even so, the mobs of people begging them with tears to be gone from the land was too much. Aaron did not show his displeasure outwardly, for he was the diplomat, and though he could be easily persuaded, he had little pity for the people of Egypt.

Moses, however, was a different story.

* * *

><p>The doors of the palace of the Pharaoh opened once again, and Moses and Aaron entered as they had before, standing once again in the presence of the Pharaoh. The princess, they saw, was not with him this day at court.<p>

"Back again, you workers of evil?" Pharaoh queried.

"The locusts are gone from out of your land," Aaron stated. "The **LORD** sent the west wind and blew them all into the sea. Shall we now be set free?"

"Set free?" Pharaoh mocked, punctuating his mockery with laughter.

"But what of the words you spoke before?" Aaron asked. "That you had sinned against God and us, that we were to be free?"

"I do not know your God," Pharaoh sternly stated. "Nor will I let His people go."

"You've lied to us again!" Aaron shouted. "Before the face of the **LORD** God of Israel, you have deceived us!"

"I have no need to fear you, foolish mouth-piece, or your prophet." the Pharaoh said arrogantly, reclining back on his throne. "It is said that in the heat of battle, even the hardiest warrior will cry out to the gods to last through the fight. I am engaged in a warfare with this God of yours, and I show no weakness. I do not need the gods of Egypt, for they are within my power. I alone summon Aten into the world, to show my power to the people as the sole protector of Egypt. I will remain in my barricade, and not cry out to the gods. In the end, Egypt stands by its Pharaoh, not by any god!"

Moses leaned up and whispered into Aaron's ears. Then he walked back toward the gate of the palace, looking out at the day's sun.

"Ra and his disc Aten shall cower before the Hand of the **LORD** God of Israel," Aaron said. "Behold!" With his staff, he pointed to his brother Moses.

Moses, gazing out toward the sun, climbing across the sky towards its noon-day zenith, stretched forth his hands from one end of the door to the other. Suddenly, the light began to fade. It first went from gold to brown, and then a dark shade of gray, then all of Memphis was plunged into night. The servants gave out cries of alarm as they suddenly stumbled, unable to see themselves or where they were going. The prince was whimpering like a whipped dog. From his darkened throne, the Pharaoh reached out with his hand into the abyss before him, for it seemed as though there was nothing. But when his hand went out, he felt a soft, airy nothingness that was tangible. Stifling a cry, he thrust his hand back to himself.

"Moses?" he shouted blindly into the darkness. "Where are you? What is this trickery? I demand to know what you have done!"

Aaron approached from out of the darkness. To Pharaoh's eyes, he saw the spokesman bathed in a beam of light, glowing like a torch in the midst of the abyss.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel unto His servants," he stated. "'Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.' For three days this darkness shall endure, but only in the land of Goshen will there be light for His people to see."

"Ha!" Neferhotep arrogantly shouted. "This is nothing unnatural! Thoth has been known to stand before Aten on his trek through the heavens, even sandstorms are known to block out the sun! Tomorrow I shall summon Aten back into the world and your God will be proven to be impotent once again!"

"Three days, mighty one." Aaron said again. "Three days."

* * *

><p>The beams of light that gave sight to Moses and Aaron followed them all the way back to Goshen. The city itself looked as though the sun sat above it alone, shining its light solely upon that city at the command of God. The weather had not changed, and it seemed as though the day lasted on for them as if nothing had happened.<p>

Outside, there was only the darkness of the abyss. The people of Israel were more or less free on that day, since their masters could not see them. They did not, however, have permission to leave, and the fear of what would happen on the third day once the darkness ended was enough to keep them in their places in Goshen.

For Egypt, the rest of the day was spent in trying to feel their ways back to their houses. The natural compulsion to fall asleep became powerful, and many fell asleep where they were standing. Pharaoh alone kept himself from succumbing to sleep, for he had to be there the next morning to show this prophet up.

The long light-less day was followed by a night as dark as the day had been. Even in Goshen, the night was filled with stars and the light of the moon, and the city was bathed in its light. For the short respite from slavery the people of Goshen spent the time either sleeping or tending to the daily activities.

In Memphis, the Pharaoh, his eyes blood-shot and his limbs hungry for rest, made his way to the altar of Ra. Here he would summon forth the sun, as the Pharaoh was known for doing every morning. With Janis and Jambres at his side, he performed the ritual and held up his hands towards the eastern sky. But the sun did not rise at his command. A little frustrated, he weaved his hands through the palpable darkness, speaking the same ritual words, and then rose his hands again.

"Woe is Egypt!" Janis wailed, throwing himself to the ground.

"Ra is powerless before the God of the slaves!" Jambres added with tears.

In exhaustion, Pharaoh collapsed onto the floor of the altar, at last succumbing to sleep. Janis and Jambres exchanged nervous glances between each other, then turned to the Pharaoh. He was completely within their power to do with him whatever they wished to do.

* * *

><p>At the end of the third day, the dawn rose at last. But this day saw slavery return to Egypt. The task-masters and those who could be coerced or threatened by the Pharaoh were sent to Goshen to round up the slaves and bring them back to their work. Three days had gone by with no work and the Pharaoh was taking out his anger on the people. Naturally, this would mean that Moses and Aaron could not show their faces in Goshen for a while, at least without Caleb and Joshua providing protection for them.<p>

In the house of Amram, an air of nervous anticipation made the main room tense. Miriam was wrapping her cloak about her when Aaron tried to stop her.

"My dear sister," he said. "You cannot go out there."

"I am a Hebrew, brother," she returned proudly, though her face was not smiling. "By that, I am also a slave."

"But you are one of the Overseers of the Slaves, Miriam!" Aaron insisted.

"My place is with my people, brother." she said, her eyes narrowing at him as she spoke. She then walked over to the door. "Would that the God of Abraham had given you a spine, brother. But, as I am the eldest, I must do my duty as before." She then looked at the two young men walking down from the upper room.

"Abihu, Nadab!" she barked sternly. "You're going out with the rest of your people! You will not shame your father and your mother by hiding while your betters work in your stead!"

The two young men looked at Aaron for some kind of loophole through their aunt's insistence.

"Do as she says." was all that he could say. The two sighed and then went back to their rooms to change into their working clothes. Just then, another door opened and Moses walked out.

"Moses," Miriam said, walking over to her brother. "You cannot go out today."

"W-Why?"

"You are a Hebrew," she said. "They will think you a slave, but you are our prophet, our deliverer. You have to see the Pharaoh again!" She looked back at the corner of the room that served as their kitchen. "Elishebah, have Eleazar and Ithamar go and find Caleb and Joshua - quickly!"

Elishebah called her two youngest sons down and began whispering to them their instructions. Miriam, meanwhile, waved her two brothers over toward the main bedroom. Inside, she walked over to a section of the room where several sewn rugs and a large jar were sat against the wall. These she began to move aside.

"This is how we did it, Moses!" she called back to him. "Your mother and I would hide you back here, at the farthest end of the house, when the soldiers came knocking. I had to make sure you didn't make any noise - an arduous task, that was! When you became too much to handle, Father made a basket of bull-reeds."

"I remember that," Moses said.

"This was how we got you out of the house," Miriam exclaimed, as she strained to move the huge jar from the wall. Aaron walked over and added his strength to hers. Behind the jar was a small hole, large enough for a full-sized man to crawl through. "When you got too noisy, I'd take you out of the house and hide you somewhere safe, then Father would come and find me. In the end, Mother and I used this to make a quick escape to the River!"

The small opening was now fully revealed, and Aaron got down on his hands and knees and quickly crawled through. Miriam walked over to her older brother and kissed his pale forehead, slightly revealed by the eye-hole of his veil.

"What about you?" Moses asked.

"My place is here, Moses." she said. "You've got the command of the **LORD** on your shoulders. Now go, quickly!"

Moses walked over to the hole, knelt down and soon found himself in the streets outside the house of Amram. As he looked back into the house, Miriam quickly covered up the hole and vanished from sight.

"Moses!" a voice hissed. Moses looked up and saw Aaron waving him over. He rose to his feet and ran after him as quickly as he could.

"Where are J-Joshua and Caleb?" Moses asked.

"Right here." Caleb announced. The two brothers turned to see the Judaean and the Ephraimite walking towards them, with Eleazar and Ithamar in tow. "We were on our way out with the others when these fine young lads found us."

"What does the **LORD** command, Moses?" Joshua asked.

"We must g-go...before Pharaoh again." came the answer.

"And so we shall." Caleb said with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Kind of fluffy, but Miriam needs more 'screen-time', as it were. As you may have noticed, Nadab and Abihu are the bad-boys of Aaron's family, while Eleazar is the good child. I can't give an exact age, but he's definitely under 20, since he makes it through to the Promised Land [read the book of Joshua, chapter 24]. Ithamar, I don't know yet, but somebody has to know. [Like Louisa from <em>The Sound of Music<em>. lol])**

**(Next chapter a.s.a.p! And it's another good one!)**


	15. Creeping Death

**(AN: Here it is! This chapter is named not only in homage to the previous chapter, _Crawling Sickness_, but also in homage to the Metallica song of the same name from the album _Ride the Lightning_. Yes, we are now at the Tenth Plague!)**

**(Now far be it from me to side with the elitists, but that is a fine album. You may listen to it if you wish, I definitely recommend it, or some other dark, gloomy song to go along with what is bound to happen in this chapter!)**

**(Enjoy and start head-banging! [lol])**

* * *

><p><strong>Creeping Death<strong>

Very few of the servants of the Pharaoh dared serve him anymore. They were too busy hiding in their houses from some potential disaster that was about to befall them. In the throne room, the Pharaoh and his son sat proudly with his advisers around him. He was not in the best of moods: one of the reasons being because of the reports from his advisers.

"Mighty one," one of them said. "We must let the slaves free!"

"If my father lets the dogs go," the prince returned. "Who will build my cities?"

"What cities can be built," Janis asked. "When there is no more wheat in Egypt?"

"The wheat is gone?" the Pharaoh asked.

"Those damned locusts devoured them all," the Overseer of the Granaries stated. "And the hail destroyed all the barley. We will have to buy seed for next year's crop from outside of Egypt."

"Egypt is destroyed, mighty Pharaoh!" the captain of the guards said.

"My lord Captain is right," the Granaries Overseer added. "The hail destroyed many of our warehouses and stores. We simply don't have enough money to sustain all our people and the slaves!"

"We must let them go or our fertile land will be barren for all time!"

Just then, the announcer stood before the Pharaoh again. The Pharaoh lifted his hand up and all were silent as he stood before his majordomo.

"The Hebrew prophets again?" he asked.

"Yes, divine one."

"Bring them in." He returned to his throne.

Moses and Aaron, flanked by Caleb and Joshua, entered the throne room of the Memphis palace once again. While they were walking slowly towards the throne, Joshua happened to see something behind one of the pillars behind the throne.

"Did you see that?" he whispered to his friend Caleb.

"That looks like the daughter of Pharaoh." he answered.

"But why is she not sitting at his side as before?" Joshua queried.

"I know not."

They now stood directly before the throne. Caleb and Joshua stood back, while Moses and Aaron stood before the Pharaoh once again.

"You come before my presence again?" the Pharaoh asked. Though he tried to sound as imposing as always, there was something weary, more haggard, about the way he spoke.

"Only to ask you the same question we have before," Aaron answered. "How long will you refuse to humble yourself before God?"

"No more, slave-prophets." the Pharaoh said.

A collective sigh was heard from his nomarchs and advisers gathered behind him. His hand went up to silence them and then he turned once again to those before him.

"For the sake of Egypt, and my people," he began. "I have decided to show you mercy. I give your people - your men, your women and your children - leave to worship your God in the desert for three days, as you asked for in the beginning. But you shall take no livestock with you."

"But we cannot do this, great Pharaoh." Aaron argued. "The **LORD** is displeased with the sacrifice of children, therefore we must bring animals for a sacrifice, for we do not know what He desires until we arrive there. No, our animals must come with us: not a hoof must be left behind."

"So that you may run away in the desert and never return?" Pharaoh shouted. "Go without your animals, or you shall not leave Goshen in the least!"

The sighs from the nomarchs were now turned to groans. But another sound rent the air. Moses pointed out towards the door, where this other sound came from: it was the sound of crying, of pleading, of begging for relief.

"Great one," Moses said. "Do you hear the c-cry of Egypt?"

"Only a deaf man would not hear these cries you and your God have wrung out of the throats of my people!" was the angry response.

Moses turned to the Pharaoh. His voice was strong, and his tongue sure, but his hands were shaking. It often happened in his youth, when he stuttered to greatly that the nobility of Egypt, especially the High Priest Onem-way, would laugh and mock him. He would get increasingly angry and lose his temper. The last time he lost it, a man died and he had to flee the country.

It was happening again, because of Pharaoh's persistent obstinate behavior.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD**, God of Israel:" Moses' voice was brimming with silent anger, as he quoted something from fierce memory. "'Israel is My son, even My firstborn son. Let My son go that he may serve Me; for if thou will not, behold, about midnight I will send the Destroyer throughout Egypt, and all the firstborn will die...'"

A gasp came from the advisers as they heard this doom pronounced upon them. It was more than enough that they lost their cattle, their prime property, their buildings, their flax, their barley and their wheat. Now they were about to lose their lives as well!

"'The cattle that survived the sickness and the hail...the handmaid at the mill...even the firstborn son of the Pharaoh!'"

Pharaoh rose from his throne, an anger simmering in his eyes akin to that in Moses' eyes. Slowly, Moses walked towards the Pharaoh. He climbed the steps and now towered over the Pharaoh, his eyes gleaming with anger from the slit of his veil and boldness in his heart.

"And the cry, the cry of your people, which you hear now, will be greater - greater than any cry ever heard in the land of Egypt, greater than any cry that shall be heard in the land of Egypt ever again! But as for the children of Israel, none shall die, the dogs will not even wag their tongues at man or beast in the land of Goshen! Your people will throw themselves at our feet, begging me and all our people to leave Egypt! Then you will know that the **LORD** separates His people and yours, and _then_ I will go out!".

Silence followed, but the gaze of Pharaoh's eyes did not move from off of Moses. All the eyes in the room watched the two - the one, a son of the gods, and the other, a prophet of great stature who shone as if he were a god - staring each other down in this, the final act of their conflict. Moses' ultimatum was the most powerful, most deadly and the most threatening he had ever given to the Pharaoh since he first appeared.

"I'm not afraid of your God." the prince said, trying to sound strong.

But the Pharaoh held out a hand of silence towards his son, his eyes still narrowed upon the prophet before him, who dared to defy him and threaten all of Egypt: both its existence, by reason of the firstborn, and its soul by reason of the son of the Pharaoh.

"You and your God have destroyed all that there is of Egypt," he hissed through clenched teeth. "Our goods, our food, our land, our very health. Now you threaten our lives, and the life of my son! My son, the future of my people! Get out of my sight! I warn you: come to me no more, Moses! For I swear by all the gods of Egypt that on the day you see my face again, you will surely _die!_"

The tenseness in the room reached a pitch even greater than before. The two powerful men staring each other down, almost daring the other to make the first move against each other. It was Moses, though, the one prone to outbursts of anger due to his slow-speech, who made the first move. He simply inclined his head, as one who is pleased at what he has heard.

"And well said, Pharaoh." Moses said, his voice calm but anger simmering just below the surface. "I will see your face no more!"

Moses stormed out of the palace full of rage. Joshua, Caleb and Aaron had nothing else to do but run after him.

* * *

><p>They were now running through the streets of Memphis, making their way south once again towards Goshen. Aaron had finally caught up with Moses, while Caleb and Joshua were doing their best to keep up.<p>

"My brother, that was not prudent of you!" Aaron said.

"Prudence be damned!" was his reply. "Why must God let such death befall the people of Egypt before they let our people go!"

"It is not God's fault they are dying!" Aaron added.

"Isn't it?" he asked. "The Maker and Sustainer of all life is not at fault?"

"No, they chose to ignore Him and follow the Pharaoh." Aaron said. "But when he relents, it will be over!"

As they came to the city gates, Caleb and Joshua saw Moses pacing before Aaron, who looked like he had given up.

"Moses?" Caleb asked.

"Summon the people together at once." Moses said. "Have every man p-pack their belongings, gird themselves for journey, throw away all yeast and leavening out of their houses. Let them p-procure a lamb for each house-hold: if they have none, they can borrow from their neighbors!"

"Yes, Moses." both he and Joshua said in unison. They departed immediately.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Aaron asked, bewildered.

"I must speak with the people, now!" Moses said, almost fanatically.

"Why?"

"To save their lives!" Moses said, running away towards the River faster than Aaron could keep up. As his feet hit the water, Moses collapsed down almost to his knees.

"Enough!" he cried out to heaven. "It is enough! Turn for thy fierce-wrath, O **LORD**, God of my Fathers! May the God of the Universe, the King of Heaven and Earth, show mercy upon all the earth, and to all people!"

And he wept openly.

* * *

><p>A few hours were left in the day before evening set in. The filthy streets of Goshen were made even more filthy by the massive amounts of people crowded therein, all of them with a lamb for each family. They were all dressed for a journey, though they thought that this last detail was minor and superfluous. They were not yet free. But the urgency of the summons was convincing and they arrived girded for travel.<p>

In the midst of the city-square, upon a raised platform, Moses and Aaron stood with Caleb and Joshua at their side, keeping the crowds back.

"People of Israel, take heed!" Aaron called forth. "The Pharaoh has once again hardened himself against the LORD. We are..." Just then, Moses leaned closer to his brother and whispered something into his ear. A look of surprise was on Aaron's face, and for a moment he could not move. He waved Moses back and whispered into his ear in turn. Moses shook his head and the two parted.

"The **LORD** God of Abraham has spoken," Aaron began. He was speaking slowly, savoring each word as they were being spoken. "'Yet one more plague will I bring upon Egypt, after which the Pharaoh and his people will let you go - casting you out of Egypt. You shall ask the Egyptians for goods and they will give to you much spoil, that you not go away empty-handed.'"

Silence filled the streets of Goshen. It was too unreal to believe. Many simply grumbled and continued talking among themselves, but the majority were listening eagerly to what was being said. After four hundred years of slavery, they were about to be free. Their eyes were now fixated on Moses and Aaron, watching everything they did and said.

"You were all instructed to bring a lamb with you. Do you have it with you?" Aaron asked.

Replies of 'yes' came from the crowd, so many that Aaron had to hold up his hands to quiet them all.

"The **LORD** has commanded," Aaron continued slowly. "That you take the lamb and kill it. Drain the blood and place it upon the door-posts and lintel of your houses. Go then inside and eat of the flesh of the lamb, roasted, with bread unleavened and bitter herbs: burn what you do not eat - nothing left to the morning. Eat with your bags packed, sandals on your feet and a staff in hand: as if you are ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"Tonight, the** LORD** will pass through Egypt to smite the firstborn! And when He sees the blood upon your door, He will not suffer the Destroyer to enter your house and smite you with death. Tomorrow..." He paused, his eyes brimming with tears as he spoke.

"What will tomorrow bring?" one from the crowd asked.

"Tomorrow," Aaron said, not even caring that he was sobbing. "Shall be the first day of the reckoning of time for the people of Israel. Tomorrow...we are free."

The streets erupted with scattered cheer and some grumbling as to whether this was true or no.

Moses and Aaron were now on their way back to the house of Amram, eager to do as they were instructed. Already the shadows were getting long and the darkness portended the coming of the Angel of Death. As they went onward, they saw a figure in a cloak move through the streets, now filling with people dispersing from the meeting. When it saw them, it ran before both of them and removed its hood.

"Princess," Aaron said, bowing before her.

"Moses?" she asked, turning to the veiled one.

"Yes, your highness." he muttered.

"My father and brother refuse the word of your God." she said, slowly raising her face to look upon him. "But I have heard the suffering of my people. They know that they have played the tyrant to your people, and would send your people out of the country if the Pharaoh allowed it.

"I am disgraced in the eyes of my father for speaking on behalf of the people, and you. But I have seen with my own eyes the work of your God, and I believe that He has more power than all the gods of Egypt. Please, I beg you, when you leave this land, let me go with you. Let this stranger worship the LORD, the God of Israel." She threw himself at his feet.

A strong hand fell upon her shoulder, lifting her back to her feet.

"There are no strangers among those who seek the mercy of God." he said.

* * *

><p>It was now night-time, long after sunset. There were no more stars out, nor did the moon give her light. Torches throughout Goshen saw the people getting their goods together, preparing their meal and making sure their door-posts were marked with the blood of the lamb. The rest of the day had been spent with packing and securing their animals, and now the families of the Hebrews were gathered around their tables, eating their last meal as slaves.<p>

The house of Amram was packed almost beyond its limits. A cousin of Aaron's wife, the leader of the Tribe of Judah, had been invited to their house for this dinner. Elishebah and Miriam were busy in the kitchen with two or three of the women and young ladies of Judah, while the patriarchs and young men were about the table, chatting among themselves. Just then, the leader of Judah looked over to the side of the room and saw someone huddled by herself all alone. He leaned over to his right, where a youth of at least seventeen years sat, and whispered into his ear. The young man nodded then left his seat to walk over to the huddled figure.

"Would you care to join us?" he asked.

"I do not know what this is." she said.

"Neither do we," he responded. "But we have Moses, who will surely tell us what it means. Come, sit at our table." The young man led the woman by the hand over to his side of the table, but then saw that there was no more room. He turned to another man, perhaps a few years older than him.

"Mered, bring a chair to our table for this young woman." he commanded.

Mered rose up, took his own seat and placed it next to the seat of the elder of Judah and the young man.

"Oh, no!" she protested. "I couldn't..." But she paused, unable to say another word, when she saw his brown eyes.

"I am but a servant of the house of Judah," Mered said. "I will be content to stand through the night. Please, sit."

She nodded in recognition of his gesture, then took her seat. The youth quickly sat down next to her. Looking back, she saw Mered smile as he stood by the wall. She found herself smiling back.

"This is my father," the young man said to the young woman, who turned back to the table. The elder turned to the woman, then inclined his head slightly.

"I am Nashon, son of Aminadab." the man introduced himself. "You are the daughter of Pharaoh, are you not?"

All mouths shut and all eyes turned to the little girl sitting with the Judaeans.

"I was," she said, a little shyly.

Not a few eyes looked angrily at her, and tongues were set loose a-murmuring.

"This woman," Moses said, pointing to the princess. "Has f-f-fallen from the Pharaoh's grace for speaking in our behalf. She is with us as a guest, and has chosen to leave with us in the m-m-morrow."

The voices quieted down a little and they returned to the feast.

"The daughter of Pharaoh is welcome to me and to my house." Aaron added.

Silence followed for a few, uneasy minutes.

"Moses?" the youth who was Nashon's son asked.

"Yes, Salmon?" Moses returned.

"What is the purpose of this feast?" he asked.

"The lamb, of course, is the sacrificial lamb, that we slay in atonement for our past sins." Miriam began, speaking back from the near-by kitchen. "Since before the time of Abraham, all those who fear the **LORD** have sacrificed a lamb with fire before Him."

"For," Aaron added. "While we've lived in bondage to Egypt, we have adopted their ways and their customs. And as such, as well as our being denied the right to sacrifice to the **LORD** God of Israel, we have sinned greatly. Tomorrow is the first day of the reckoning of the years, and as such it begins a new dawn for our people, one which we shall start afresh."

"And why do we put blood upon the doors of our house?" Nashon asked.

"The blood Aaron put on the door is for protection." Elishebah said, as she brought up the food with Miriam and the others. "When the **LORD** comes throughout the city to slay the first born of Egypt tonight, He will see the blood on our doors and will not harm us."

"And what is the meaning of the herbs we eat?" Mered asked.

"Their bitterness signifies the four hundred years of bitter slavery to Egypt." was the answer.

Princess Tethys felt as if all faces in the room turned towards her: all faces save for Moses.

"And the...and the bread?" she asked, as Miriam passed out large, round flat-cakes of bread.

"It is made in haste." Miriam answered. "It represents the speed of our departure, and the speed with which, at this very night, the **LORD** our God delivers us from the bondage of Egypt."

Moses then stood up before the others.

"Take heed," Aaron stated. "Moses wishes to speak."

All fell silent as the prophet of the **LORD** spoke before them.

"Friends, family." he said. "You know I am not good with words, so suffer me to speak a little before we begin our feast."

They nodded, giving him the 'floor', as it were.

"The **LORD** has instructed me," Moses continued. "To tell you that this feast will be kept as a memorial for all time, even when you come unto the land promised to your fathers."

"But why is this night different than any other night?" asked Elishebah, as she took her place at Aaron's left-hand side.

"Because, sister-in-law, we were slaves in the evening, but upon the morrow we will be free." Moses said. He then turned to the others. "On this month, the first day of our year, on the evening of the tenth day, shall a feast of unleavened bread go forth among the people. They shall eat no leavened bread for seven days, or be cut off from the Children of Israel, and do no work, except that which brings forth food and the tending thereof.

"And it shall come to pass, when you come into the land the **LORD** our God has promised us, and shall do this ceremony, that your children and your children's children will see and they will ask why: and you will tell them...'It is the sacrifice of the **LORD**'s Passover, when He passed over the houses of your ancestors in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians and freed us all.'"

"Amen." they said in unison.

Moses then raised one of the flat, hard, round loaves of unleavened bread unto heaven.

"Bless art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the world, who brings to us bread from the earth." he blessed.

"Amen."

One by one they began to eat, with Tethys eating with them as well. A tense uneasiness was in the room, though no one spoke while they ate. It was all too unreal for them, that they would finally be leaving in the morning. They continued to eat, remembering the instructions from Moses and Aaron not to step outside for anything.

Suddenly, the stillness of the night air was torn asunder by the chilling sound of screams. A morbid choir of screams began to echo across the land of Egypt, being heard as far away as Goshen. Then came the wails. In the house of Amram, now belonging to his second son Aaron, the youngest son, Moses, bowed his head.

"It has begun." he whispered.

* * *

><p>In Memphis, all was death. Those who were firstborn lay dead in their beds, or on the ground where they fell. Those who were living looked as if they were dead. Broken by sadness, they had no desire to light torches in the dead of night. They cared not that they now lay among the dead, or among the sand in the streets, so great was their sadness. Voices were hoarse with crying, yet they were hard-pressed to stop the springs of their heads or hold their tongues. For the Angel of Death had visited upon them as Moses had fore-warned.<p>

And there was no house outside of Goshen where none was found dead.

Outside the palace, Janis and Jambres organized the guards to protect the Pharaoh. It was futile, for death was all around them and could not be seen until too late. But it was not just the Angel of Death that they attempted to keep out. Those who had even some strength in their beings stood before the gates, demanding in no uncertain language and in no short terms that the Hebrews be gone. No answer came from within, and even the guards were reluctant to carry out orders from the priests.

"Keep those men back!" Jambres shouted.

"It's too late!" a guard moaned, throwing his spear and shield aside and collapsing to the ground.

"Do you dare defy the order of your Pharaoh?" Jambres spat, kicking the fallen soldier with his foot.

"Egypt is lost." the guard sobbed.

"Look!" a woman shouted. "Here it comes!"

"Janis!" Jambres shouted, turning to his companion. To his sudden shock, he saw the black cloud of death creeping across the ground, gathering about Janis' feet. The priest collapsed, but in a vain effort he reached out at his friend. Jambres cared as much for his fellow high priest as he did for his own brother, who had died at his own hands, and stepped back.

"Tell the Pharaoh..." Janis sighed. "Let the Hebrews go...or...we are all dead men...all...dead..."

The high priest collapsed to the earth, face-down, never to move again.

Jambres pushed the body of the priest aside and turned back to the people.

"Return to your homes!" he shouted.

"Let the slaves go!" one replied.

"This is the order of the Pharaoh!" Jambres' face was turning red.

"Have you no heart for the people?" a woman's haggard voice begged at the priest.

"We must have faith in the gods!" Jambres ordered.

"The gods of Egypt are dead, as we are!" one of the living Egyptians who lay upon the ground bemoaned.

"Blasphemy!" Jambres shouted.

"The God of Israel has power over the gods of Egypt, you don't frighten us!"

Just then, the captain of the guard emerged from the palace gates, his face lined with tears.

"Captain!" Jambres shouted. "Rally your men, get these urchins back to their homes!"

"Do it yourself, dog!" the captain spat back. "The Pharaoh orders me to Goshen at once."

"Woe is Egypt, we are nothing!" a woman's voice cried out from the crowd, as her son died in her arms.

All the land was filled with death, and the cries of those who lived. The captain himself had to force himself to carry out this last order. His own son had died but a few moments ago, and it was a great pain and sorrow to himself. But he had to do this order, he had to go to Goshen, to bring the prophets back to Memphis.

It was the only way.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: "So let it be written, so let it be done. I'm here sent by the Chosen One. So let it be written, so let it be done. To kill the firstborn Pharaoh's son. I'm Creeping Death!" Metallica rules! And they own those lyrics [don't sue me, Lars!])<br>**

**(Hope you enjoyed it. I hope I captured at least a little of the gloom of the situation.)**

**(As concerning Tethys, she is an actual Biblical character, though she went by the name of Bithiah. With all due respect to the authors of the _Midrash_ and to Mr. DeMille, it's highly unlikely that Bithiah, the daughter of Pharaoh, was Moses' step-mother. Think about it! Forty years until Moses leaves Egypt, then forty years in Midian, and then after that, she marries and has children? How could some at the age of ninety or more be capable of bearing children? Yes, there is the story of Sarah from Abraham, but people were living shorter life-spans in Moses' time as opposed to Abraham's time. Therefore, I've made it that Bithiah is the daughter of the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who leaves with the Israelites and later marries...well, I guess you can see who, from what I've mentioned in the story.)**

**(I called her 'Tethys' because that actually sounds Egyptian. Bithiah is a Hebrew name, meaning 'daughter of God', which was probably given her _after_ she had joined the Hebrews, not before.)**

**(Lastly, read 1st Chronicles 4:18, and you shall see that Bithiah actually was a Biblical character, not just an OC Cecille B. DeMille made for _The Ten Commandments_.)**


	16. On Eagles' Wings

**(AN: Here is the calm after the storm. We are going ere the night ends, since the deed occurred at midnight. So no need to drag that out, I've already dragged out the plagues for literary sake.)**

**(I've got one more chapter after this, then I'm almost caught up to as far as I've gotten in the first draft. For now, enjoy this new chapter)**

* * *

><p><strong>On Eagles' Wings<strong>

"Stay in the house!" Aaron shouted. "As long as we are under the protection of the lamb's blood, we shall not die!"

The screams were being heard well into Goshen, and to all appearances, it would only be a matter of time before the Angel of Death would come knocking at their doors. Would it work, though, what they had been told? It seemed silly, that a lamb's blood could cover all of the people of Israel from death. It was nothing short of faith that kept the people from venturing out into the darkness, into the arms of death.

At last, another sound rent the screaming air of the night. The sound of wheels and hooves.

"What's that noise?" Elishebah asked.

"One of Pharaoh's battle-wagons, I tro." Aaron answered. "He built over a thousand of them to do battle against the Asiatics to the east. It's said they go into battle on war-wagons drawn by horses."

"Why is it coming here?" she asked again, fear rising in her voice.

"We'll fight them off if we have to!" Nadab shouted.

"Wait!" Aaron said. The sounds had died just a few moments ago. Suddenly a loud knock was heard at the door.

"Open this door immediately!"

Aaron walked over and opened as ordered. The captain of the Pharaoh's guard stood before him.

"Aaron," the captain greeted. "The Pharaoh commands that you and Moses come before him at once."

"I thought the Pharaoh swore that we were never to see his face again," Aaron stated. "That we would surely die if we say his face again."

"He orders you to enter his presence at once!" the captain stated.

"No!" Elishebah cried out, running over to Aaron's side. "You can't go! You'll be killed, and you as well Moses!"

"No, he won't be." Miriam walked over to her sister-in-law. "Only the firstborn have fear of death. I am firstborn of our mother Jocheved. You and Moses will be safe."

"But what if the Pharaoh..." Aaron wondered.

"No," Moses shook his head. "We must go."

Miriam embraced her two younger brothers each in turn. She then ran to the door and opened it, ushering them on into the night of death.

"Be safe," she said. "And may the **LORD** God go with you."

They disappeared into the darkness of the screaming, death-filled night.

* * *

><p>The night was growing old. In Memphis, the chariot that drew Moses and Aaron up to the palace was suddenly accosted by the people of Egypt. Instead of stones, as the people of Israel once greeted their prophet, gold and jewelry came flying at them.<p>

"Leave us alone!" one of the people shouted.

"We'll give you everything we have!" a woman's voice cried out, heart-broken over the events of the night.

"It is more than we can bear!" another added. "**_Please_**, before we are utterly destroyed!"

Even Aaron felt sad as he saw the people throwing their belongings at him, casting their gold and their jewels at them as if they were nothing. It was as though the whole world had been turned upside down. The slaves now had the upper-hand against their masters, the river became blood and famine and plague had ravaged Egypt.

Once more they entered the palace. The sound of crying and wailing still echoed from outside, much louder in Memphis than in Goshen. The monarch of Egypt was stretched upon the frozen body of his son, his eyes buried in the chest that would never rise again with life. Not even the prince was spared.

"Moses and Aaron, divine one." the captain said. Pharaoh did not move. Simply bowing, the captain left. He himself was wracked with grief, and felt ready to fall to the ground as if dead, as the Pharaoh did now.

"The gods of Egypt...are powerless." Pharaoh wept. "Egypt...has fallen. What is left for us now?" He rose his face up to look at the prophets. Moses looked away, intent on keeping his promise...or shocked to see the horrific sight of the Pharaoh? His cheeks were lined with black, from his make-up being befouled by his tears.

"I have hardened my heart unto the death of my own people, and the death of my own heart. What good now is pride to a king who is brought lower than the grave?

"Go out from among us, you and your people!" he said, turning away from them. "Before you destroy what is left of Egypt."

"All of us?" Aaron asked.

"Everyone! Your women, your children, your animals, your God! Go! Worship your God for three days, but never return to Egypt again!"

Moses leaned heavily upon his staff, his head still bowed. The Pharaoh, crawling upon his belly like some loathsome, pitiful beast, grabbed at Moses' sandals.

"For the sake of my people, for the sake of Egypt," the Pharaoh whispered. "Bless me! Let the God of Israel be merciful in victory."

Moses knelt down and placed his hands upon the head of the Pharaoh.

"Egypt has been brought low," he said. "But while you live, you will not see your people led to slavery by a foreigner, as your fathers did unto the fathers of my people. Be at peace."

And so Moses and Aaron returned once again into the night filled with screams. They would never again walk in the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt in Memphis.

* * *

><p>It was still dark when Moses and Aaron returned to Goshen. They were just outside the city, when Moses halted.<p>

"Is something wrong, brother?" Aaron asked.

Moses shook his head.

"Get the people ready," Moses said. "We are now...free."

Aaron chuckled with delight, running down into the city of Goshen. Immediately he threw up his hands and shouted into the night air:

"Arise, O Israel! Get thee up, O sons of Jacob! The hour of deliverance has come!"

Suddenly, the streets of Goshen exploded with activity. People were running out of their houses, crying and rejoicing. A new cry rose up from the land: not one of pain, but one of great joy. After four hundred years, many generations and countless brutal treatment from various masters, the people of Israel were free.

Horns rang from roof-tops, torches were lit and the people began to get their things in readiness for the march. Now they saw why the **LORD** had ordered them to eat dressed for journey, for they would be going before first light. A great throng of people were gathering about the streets, driving their scared cattle, donkeys and sheep together and making sure they had taken everything.

Outside the house of Amram, Moses finally found himself amid this glorious chaos. A strange sadness came over him, to know that he had lived so little time in the house of his father and mother, and now would never see it again.

Suddenly, two approached him.

"Moses!" Caleb cried out. "The people are large in number. I count at least six-hundred thousand men of fighting age."

"And with all the women and children, and the elderly, and our animals, we must number in the millions!" Joshua added.

"Aaron is busy spreading the word." Caleb said. "But we need to organize this."

"What are our orders?"

Moses' mind immediately went back to his days as a shepherd. Organize the flock first, make sure everyone is accounted for, stay together. It was all going through his mind. He would need it all for leading this great multitude. But there were so many.

"Caleb," he said first. "G-Gather the heads of the tribes: I would have them with me. Joshua, gather the standard bearers of the tribes, that they may not be divided."

"Yes, Moses." they said one after the other, then departed immediately.

Moses turned back to the house, and saw Elishebah ordering Nadab and Abihu about with the last preparations of the packing. Eleazar brought out a donkey, which Miriam began loading with bags and other supplies from inside the house.

"Are we ready?" Moses asked.

"Not yet," Elishebah stuck her head out of the window of the house. "We have to move out of the city. We can't all fit in the streets."

"We need the bones, Moses!" Miriam exclaimed, as she walked back and placed another sack on the back of the ass, then ran back in for more.

"Bones? Whose bones?"

"At Succoth," she added, coming back out. "The bones of Joseph, the son of Jacob. We are bound under a promise from Joseph himself that we are to take up his bones from Egypt."

"V-Very well," Moses said. "We'll go to Succoth. Where is it?"

"To the east." she pointed. "We should arrive there by dusk if we leave before dawn."

"Abomidable!" Elishebah added. "It's a sin! Sacrilege!"

"What is?" Miriam asked, turning back to the house.

"What the Egyptians do to bodies once the soul returns to the **LORD!**" she fumed.

Miriam ran back inside and brought more out. She then turned to her brother.

"Find Aaron!" she insisted. Moses nodded his head then began searching for his brother. He didn't have to search long, for he found him just outside of town.

"Aaron!" he called out. "We need t-t-t-to get the people out of Goshen. There are too m-many!"

"We have another problem, Moses!" Aaron returned. He pointed then northeast and in several other directions. Dots of torch-fire lit up the early morning sky on the horizon.

"Could it be soldiers?" Aaron asked.

"I think not," Moses said. "The d-d-death of the firstb-b-born is too great a thing to have them forget. Don't you r-r-r-remember the crowds in Memphis?"

"Yes," Aaron said. "But I don't think they could completely exclude the use of violence as a means of vengeance against us."

"Still," Moses returned. "We must get the people ready. Get them assembled and out of the city b-b-before dawn!"

"Yes, brother!" Aaron went off to do as he had been commanded. Moses, meanwhile, was looking at the vast multitude of people out there and all the Israelites behind him. There was only one thought on his mind as he saw the streets of Goshen buzzing with activity, a virtual sea of men, women, children and even very much cattle...

_There are so many..._

The day was still a long ways off, but now the slopes and valleys around Goshen were teeming with people, lit up by their torches. The people were already making their way out, but this group of torch-bearers simply stood there, waiting for new orders. After a while, they sent one of their number down into Goshen to speak with whoever was in charge. Moses and Aaron walked out to meet him. Almost immediately, Moses recognized this new-comer as the Hittite trader he had met before he came to Egypt.

"It is a strange fate, my slow-tongued friend," the Hittite said to Moses. "That our paths cross again."

"Who are you?" Aaron asked.

"My name is Jamal." the trader answered. "We..." He turned and indicated to those who bore the torches. "...are looking for the two who have overthrown the power of Egypt: Moses and Aaron."

"I am Aaron."

"And I am Moses."

"No!" Jamal the Hittite gasped. "Verily?" He then broke into laughter. "By all the gods! I did not ever expect to see you at the head of this rebellion against the Pharaoh."

"A glorious rebellion for freedom, it is." Aaron stated.

"Even so," Jamal continued. "These people, and I, have a great desire to come with you and your people when you leave this land."

"Why?" was Moses' response.

"Because we have seen the power of your God." he said solemnly. "And if He allows it, we would wish to accompany Him and be under His protection. After all, if He can do that to the Pharaoh of Egypt, what _can_ stand in His way, huh?"

Aaron was only a little upset at this man's faith. After all, what right did a Hittite have to have more faith in God than the Israelites? The Hittites didn't even know Him, they were uncircumcised pariahs who did all manner of evil, while the children of Israel were ready to stone Moses and Aaron just when the going got tough before they were freed from Pharaoh.

That was why he was truly upset: because this Hittite's faith put him to shame.

For Moses, however, it was an answer to his heart-felt desire. Not only was the princess of Egypt with them, but he could see many in the crowd of the torch-bearers who were Egyptians, and others from lands that he had never heard of before. Here was the chance to have people of all the world see the LORD God of Israel and know Him as the people of Israel knew Him: as their Shepherd and Protector.

Moses smiled and nodded at Jamal.

"You are most welcome among us." he said.

* * *

><p>What had seemed like something that could be accomplished easily in several minutes soon took several hours. The dawn was on its way, though still far and away beyond the Gulf of Suez. With the tribes organized, the mixed multitude having joined, and so much gold the Egyptians gave the people of Israel to get them to leave that several hours of making carts had to be spent.<p>

Now they all stood in rank and file, waiting for a command from Moses. He was at the front of the column, looking out upon the horizon. The shepherd of a new flock. No, he told himself. He was not the shepherd, he was just a hireling. God was the Shepherd. Around him were those of his family, Miriam and Aaron, and Caleb and Joshua as well. They also waited for something: orders of some kind. Orders? Moses tried with all his might to remember any kind of orders they had been given from the **LORD**? Bring the people out of Egypt and into a good land, flowing with milk and honey...but didn't He command that they serve Him upon this mountain, namely Sinai? When he fled there first he was a fugitive, and knew not where he went. How would he find the way again this time?

A bolt of lightning struck from a darkened but cloudless night sky, hitting the ground outside of Goshen. All were shocked, some more than others, at this sudden display of power. Suddenly, from the blackened mark where the lightning hit, small gusts of fire rose up into the air. These slowly grew and grew, until a thing like a tornado of fire erupted from the ground and rose to meet the sky above. It was very warm, a welcome change from the cold of morning, and illuminated the land for miles in all directions.

"Follow Me!" a voice said to Moses.

He could have sworn it came from the pillar.

It was the voice of God.

As soon as he heard it, the vortex of flame started to move northeastward, leaving no scorch-marks upon the ground. Moses smiled inside: now he knew the way. He knew he would always know the way, because He was leading him. With strength in his tongue, Moses turned to the people and shouted out:

"**FOLLOW THE FIRE!**"

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: The fearful night of terror is over! But they have yet to fulfill the story, since we've in no way birthed a nation yet. We need laws, government and a place to call our own! Yes, it's going all the way.)<strong>

**(To keep from having too many chapters, I'll have one big one next up. It will be the one you've all been waiting for...)**


	17. The Red Sea

**(AN: It is not said if Joseph's bones were interred at Succoth. If that is not truth, then it is fabrication on my part to make their first stop there have a purpose.)**

**(Here we are with another big, epic chapter in our tale. Perhaps the biggest one, and I hope you've been reading so far. I will definitely try to make the rest of the story interesting.)**

**(Now sit back and enjoy the show!)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Red Sea<strong>

The small town of Succoth was flooded with people. When the streets became too small to contain them, some climbed upon roof-tops or on sphinxes and palace walls. Those of Egypt who chose to stay left their gold and jewels and fled the city, whereas those who would go with the Children of Israel begged for forgiveness and pleaded if they would join them. Moses permitted them, and their multitude was now grown to a great and innumerable size. Another promise was now coming to fruition. At the front of the column in Succoth, Moses stood alone with Miriam for a moment. The pillar of fire was gone. In its place was a great, billowing pillar of whitest cloud. It swept cool air upon the whole multitude, protecting and sheltering them from the sweltering heat of the desert. For the moment, it stood still.

"Look at our people, Moses!" Miriam exclaimed, looking out upon the congregation. "Caleb and Joshua lost count at six hundred thousand men. Surely the **LORD** is true to His word!"

"Yes, sister." Moses answered. "We are free now, as He promised Abraham."

"More than that," she turned to him. "There was another promise made to Abraham by the **LORD**, even older than that one."

"What was it?" Moses inquired.

"In fact, it is _the_ covenant," she began. "The greatest covenant between God and Abraham of all of them. Many years ago, when the Perizzties ruled the land of Canaan, the **LORD** spoke to Abraham. 'Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: all this land I shall give to you, and to thy seed forever.'

"Can you imagine what that was like, Moses? Abraham's wife could not bear children, and the **LORD** told him that he would have offspring. Furthermore..." She proudly placed a hand upon her brother's shoulder. "He told Abraham: 'I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.'" She then pointed out to the people before them.

"Look at them all, Moses!" she smiled. "They are too great to number: like the dust of the earth, and the stars of the heavens."

"The **LORD** keeps His word, Miriam." Moses returned.

She nodded, then looked across the desert. "I do have this much, though, on my mind."

"What is it?"

"When I was younger," she continued. "I used to find wells for the people, and for our masters. I can find water easily, but it will be difficult to find water in the desert, and with so many people, it will take nothing less than the Nile River to quench our thirst, especially under the hot sun."

Moses smiled at her jest beneath his veil, and Miriam left to find Aaron and the others, to help them with the bones of Joseph. But the thought had been on Moses' mind more than once. There were just too many people here, and though they had brought supplies for the journey, it would not last as long as it needed to for the whole trip to wherever they were going. Even more so, there was something else on his mind that also had to do with this great undertaking.

He was in charge of several million people, all of them looking to him for advice and direction. He had to choose the right path for them, but which would that be? Whether to Midian or to Canaan, which he supposed was the 'Promised Land', the quickest route lay to the north and east, the trade route whose northern road led to Canaan. It was this road that the trader Jamal had taken on his way to Egypt, and he suggested it as the quickest path out of Egypt to the East. He may have gone that way forty years ago, when he fled Egypt as a refugee. He could not remember, it had been so long. This was the most practical way to go, the one that was sure and substantial, tried and true. It was perhaps their only choice.

There was only one problem. Before they could turn south and east towards Midian, they would be entering the land of the war-like Amorites, and the fierce Philistines, who owned the southern part of the land of Canaan. As a lone wanderer, he must have shown no cause for attack, or maybe it had been the hand of God that kept the marauding Philistines from attacking him forty years ago. The return journey to Egypt took him along the trade road as well, but when he entered the camp of the traders, any Philistine spies would have marked him as a trader himself and therefore not molested him. But he was not alone any more. Here was a great host, the population of several large capital cities, the likes of which none had ever seen, marching across the land. A host of one hundred surely drew the attention of any wary prince of the Philistines, what would an army of over a million do? Surely it would bring down the wrath of the enemy down upon them without mercy.

Footsteps slowly made their way up from behind.

"Moses." Caleb announced. "The people are assembled, we have the bones of Joseph."

Moses nodded, but knew that there wasn't much he could tell Caleb. There was nothing else at all left for him to do...except pray. He shut his eyes and prayed.

"Oh **LORD**, must we go through the land of the Philistines?"

"No." the voice whispered. Moses' heart leaped at hearing the voice from the cloud again. "The people are great in number, but at the sight of war, they may forsake Me and return to Egypt. For mercy's sake, they will not take the easy road: the road of the Philistines."

"Then where, **LORD**?" Moses asked. "What safer road would you lead us down?"

"Follow the cloud." was all the response he received.

Moses turned towards the cloud. The wind shifted. It started to move forward, though not straying off from the path it had formerly taken. Moses was perplexed, but started walking forward. Caleb saw this and took it as a response to his unasked question.

"**MOVE OUT!**" he shouted, turning towards the people with his hands cupped about his lips. "The cloud has started to move! Follow Moses!"

Moses continued forward, unsure why he had been told they would not go the close way, yet they hadn't diverted course yet, either to right or left. Or was the wind starting to sway southward? Moses shook his head, that was preposterous. But the cloud started to veer to the right. And so, though it did not make any sense, Moses turned to follow the cloud. But much more so than just not making any sense, it almost seemed, if Moses didn't believe, that he and the people were being led towards the peninsula separating Suez and her eastern-most gulf, Aqaba. But this could not be. How could it be? With the exception of going around and thereby coming perilously close to Migdol and the land of the Philistines, there was no route to Midian from where they were going: except, perhaps, to swim across the gulf of Aqaba.

But there were no trees, and they had few tools with them. They could not build ships to cross the gulf, and if they could, no ship was large enough to carry all of them over: doubtless even the Ark of Noah could have done so. Even more so, the gulf was treacherously deep, and many of their number had never swam at all and would drown to death.

Already, Moses feared an early end had come to their journey.

* * *

><p>Pharaoh sat in a great gloom upon his throne. The cries of Egypt rang loudly in his ears, as fierce as his own cries had been. His eyes were red and puffy, he felt as if he had cried himself quite out of tears. Now there was only sullenness. The high priest Jambres was left, gazing with disdain upon the weakened monarch.<p>

"My lord?" he asked.

The Pharaoh said nothing, his eyes bent towards the ground.

"My lord, I beg you, have mercy upon your people." the priest begged, inclining his bald head.

Still no response came from the Pharaoh.

"Avenge the death of your son, of the sons and daughters of your people!" the priest entreated. "Avenge the destruction of your kingdom!"

The Pharaoh then spoke, slowly and with much sadness in his voice.

"Would that I could." he said. "But no man can fight a God who was so clearly portrayed His power before us."

"The God of Moses?" Jambres asked. "But Moses and his people have lied to you, great Pharaoh. They asked to be let into the wilderness to make a three-day journey to sacrifice to their God. It has been six days since they left, and no sign of their return! Surely their God is angry with them: did He not punish you, O Pharaoh, when you told the prophet you would let his people go and did not? Their God must abhor lying, even from his prophets."

"Surely they are long gone by now." the Pharaoh said, slumping back into his seat.

At that moment, the captain of the guard entered.

"Mighty Pharaoh," he said, bowing. "With respect to the High Priest, I beg you think carefully. We have lost many good men, many of our animals have died; what strength have we to engage an army of slaves, whom we ourselves have strengthened with hard labor, filling their hearts with hatred for their masters?"

"But there is strength still left in Egypt, great Pharaoh." Jambres said, ignoring the captain. "Were there not, we would have all up and left with that worker of evil and His God! Our righteous indignation will make our blows to feel like the sting of ten thousand swords!"

"What are ten thousand swords against millions?" the captain asked.

"Is the slave greater than the master?" Jambres shouted.

Pharaoh said nothing. Slowly a devious grin then came across the face of Jambres.

"My lord captain," he said. "Please tell the Pharaoh what news you bring from Succoth."

"My lord," the captain began, turning to the Pharaoh. "The Hebrews left Succoth three days ago, they were..." He paused suddenly.

"Go on." Jambres urged.

"The Hebrews were going to the south-east." the captain said with a sigh.

"Do you see, great Pharaoh?" Jambres queried, turning to the Pharaoh with a smile on his fat face. "They are going into a trap! There is no way out of the hills and narrow valleys of the region south of Migdol. If we go now, we can fall upon those Semite dogs and drive them into the sea!"

Pharaoh said nothing.

"Or," Jambres said. "Has the great god of Egypt been made weak? Has the death of his little brat turned the great Pharaoh, into a coward?"

The captain of the guard knew that the High Priest had gone too far. The Pharaoh slowly rose from his seat, a look of cold anger in his eyes.

"A sword!" he called out.

The captain of the guard knelt down, drawing out his curved blade and offering it to the Pharaoh. With one hand, the Pharaoh took the sword and drove it into the fat stomach of the High Priest.

"None may mock the Pharaoh of Egypt," he whispered into the ear of the dying priest. "Not even the servants of dead gods!"

He withdrew his blade, letting the priest fall to the floor. Jambres was dead, ready to face the oblivion along with Janis.

"Captain." the Pharaoh said. "What strength do we have left?"

"Not many, we lost many in the plagues." was the answer.

"Assemble them at once, and prepare the chariots."

"My lord, they are prepared only for the defense of Egypt, should the Asiatics invade..."

"Obey the command of your Pharaoh, or join that bastard on the floor!" He pointed his bloody sword to the fallen Jambres.

The captain departed, leaving Pharaoh by himself.

_So,_ Neferhotep thought, _Moses' God has led him and his people into the wilderness for lying to us_. He would bring them back, he resolved. He would bring them back to worship at his feet, as the new god of Israel: their conqueror.

* * *

><p>Three days later, upon the outskirts of the camp of the Israelites. The sun was high in the sky, though a gentle breeze blew upon the camp from the pillar of cloud that sat upon the shore of the sea. The place they had come to was a large plain of flat land between the rocky hills and the sea. There was only one way out of that plain: back the way they had come, through the narrow valleys. The mountains were rough and unexplored: though a few sure-footed ones were certain to be able to make the trek through the mountains, they were few in number compared to the thousands others.<p>

Old men, women and children of all ages, very much cattle, sheep and goats, horses and camels as well were among the great multitude. Getting them through the mountains was no task that even the strongest could have accomplished. They were stuck here in this valley, with the sea at their backs and mountains on all sides. But, for the time being, they were in no great hurry to be going anywhere. The journey out of Egypt had been only a little longer than a week, and nothing bad had happened. In fact, many of the people left Succoth singing and rejoicing.

Here upon the outskirts of the camp, Caleb and Joshua finished up their scouting duties. They paused for a moment, for this far upon the plain before the sea, where the cool pillar of cloud stood on the far side at the edge of the sea, the sun was hot and the air dry and they needed a rest.

"How long do you think it will last?" Caleb asked.

"What will last?" Joshua inquired.

"This festive air in the camp."

"It seems to have died down a little bit."

"Now its just anxiety that grips us." Caleb mused. "We cannot go forward, we must go back."

"But back is not what I think either Moses or God has in mind." Joshua stated.

"Everything seems to have been going so well for us since we left Egypt." Caleb stated. "We encountered no resistance, not from Egypt or from anyone who may be living in the desert. The multitude are so great that the animals that hunt prey are fearful of us. Even the mountains and valleys seemed to open up before us as we passed this way."

"The **LORD** leads the way, Caleb." Joshua said.

"I know, and I know that His hand has been with us ever since." He was silent for a moment as he looked across the desert to the west. "I see a wisp of dust upon the horizon." He pointed to Joshua where it was at.

"If it is a sand-storm, the Pillar will keep it back. Do you remember when we left Etham?"

"That storm would have buried us if the Pillar hadn't blown it to the north."

The two chuckled full laughs, then continued on with their duty.

"One thing that does give me concern, though." Joshua began.

"What is it?" Caleb asked, as they made their way down the mountain.

"Our supplies are waning." he said. "After we left Etham, there has not been a well or pasture in any direction. Even if we were to move tonight, we'd have little to go on in the morning."

"Have faith, Joshua." was the response from the elder. "The God of Israel can keep the sand-storms back, He will provide for us, as he provided for Abraham and Isaac on the horns of Moriah."

The two friends continued down the mountain to give their report to Moses and the elders.

* * *

><p>The hour of twilight was nigh upon the camp of the Israelites. Men and women and children alike were preparing for the night. Around the fire in the camp of Judah, Nashon told the story of the exploits of Abraham to the children about him. His son Salmon, along with Mered and the princess of Egypt, listened intently on the edge of the ring of children.<p>

"Your God is a powerful God indeed." Tethys said. "He laid my father's kingdom in the dust as easily as He did to the Four Kings of Canaan."

"It is true." Mered said.

Just then, Caleb walked over to join their group after having finished his scouting report.

"Salmon, there you are." he said. "Greetings, my prince."

"I'm not lord of the tribe yet." Salmon said.

"Ah, but I am still your mentor, training you for the purpose of taking your father's place."

"Indeed, sire."

"I am off to the rear, to meet with the members of the tribe of Ephraim for the night watch." he said. "I trust that you will be well in my absence."

"I shall, sire." was the response.

"You're a good man, Salmon. A finer son Nashon of Judah could not ask for." Caleb bowed and prepared to leave.

"Good sir, please." Tethys entreated as Caleb was leaving.

"Yes, princess?"

"If it pleases you, my lord." She bowed her head. "I am a stranger in a strange land, among strangers. Though I was once the daughter of Pharaoh, I wish to be born anew into the worship of the **LORD** God of Israel. I know that you are a mighty man of word and deed, and that you are a man of faith among your people. Please, I pray you, bless me and accept me into the covenant of the God of Israel."

Tethys bowed before Caleb, who gently lifted her to her feet.

"Do not bow before a man, daughter." he said.

"Still, my lord, I wish to be joined into the covenant made by God to your people."

A grimace came over Caleb's face.

"This hasn't been done before," he said. "Bringing one into the covenant of the** LORD** who is an outsider. However, it is not forbidden to do so. Joseph took for himself a wife of the daughters of Egypt, and her children were blessed as the lords of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.

"Therefore, I know that the **LORD** has place enough for you. As the **LORD** lives, you shall now be accounted not among the mixed multitudes, but among the children of Israel. Your name shall no longer be Tethys, for you have entered into a sacred covenant with God. You shall be known as Bithiah, daughter of **JEHOVAH**. And, upon your marriage to one of the sons of Israel, shall be fully entered into the covenant and blessing of the **LORD**, which He made unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who is called Israel."

He turned to Salmon and asked him for oil. The young man ran back to the tent of his family and returned with a small, clay jar of oil. This he handed to Caleb, who then poured it upon the head of the princess.

"As Jacob anointed the stone at Bethel, so do I anoint you, Bithiah, and show that you have entered into the covenant of the **LORD**." He then finished and turned to Salmon and Mered. "And you, men, stand as witnesses to her covenant."

"Yes, my lord." they both responded.

Bithiah bowed her head in gratitude, which Caleb returned and then left the camp of Judah.

* * *

><p>When Caleb arrived at the camp of Ephraim, sometime near late evening, he found Joshua standing by the edge of the camp, with a hand over his eyes, gazing into the west. As Caleb approached his companion, he heard a soft, low rumbling noise far off in the distance.<p>

"Do you hear thunder?" Caleb asked.

"I do." Joshua responded.

"A storm coming?"

"Yes."

"From over the sea?"

"No, it comes from the desert, I think." Joshua said.

"Is it the sand-storm we saw at noon?" Caleb asked.

"Wait!" Joshua held silent for a moment. He turned his head towards the west, trying to discern the sound that he heard. Almost instantly, his face turned an ashen shade of white.

"That's the thunder of horses!" he shouted, taking off in a run. "Follow me, Caleb, back to the top of the mountains."

The man of Judah made a hasty run after his younger Ephraimite comrade. Joshua was already clambering up the hill they had climbed that morning to scout upon the western path. Caleb's heavy footfalls thundered behind him, though not loud enough to drown out the rumble that was now growing in the west.

"Look, Caleb! There is your sandstorm!" Joshua, who had already made it to the top of the hill, shouted, pointing westward.

Caleb was now on his hands as he made the last leg of his crawl to the top of the hill and peered over its brink. What he saw was a sight that shook even him to the heart.

A small army was on the march eastward. The dust they had seen that morning was made by their marching feet. Or galloping hooves, more likely. They spotted not only foot-men but war-wagons, such as the Asiatics used in warfare. It was a great army, and Joshua and Caleb knew of only one place they had come from.

_Egypt._

"The Pharaoh seeks to bring us back to Egypt by force." Caleb said, almost laughing.

"Do you think this is funny, Caleb?" Joshua exclaimed. "They will be here by nightfall and we have nowhere to go!"

"The Pillar is still with us." Caleb said. "Whatever may happen, God hasn't abandoned us."

"Even so, we are the ones at the disadvantage." Joshua said. "This narrow pass makes our numbers count for nothing, and they have battle-wagons. Is it true the Egyptians latch blades to their wheels when they go into battle?"

"We'll find out soon enough." Caleb said. "For now, let us warn the people. I'll start at the northern camps and work my way down to Naphtali. You go to the south end and work your way up to Gad. And use your father's horn!"

"I will, Caleb!" Joshua said, already starting his way down from the mountain.

* * *

><p>Moses was kneeling before the Pillar of Cloud, that now stood before the shore of the sea. None others were with him at this moment, though Aaron was a few steps behind, mingling with the people. Behind him the sun was on its way behind the hills, sending long shadows to dance upon the edge of the sea. Suddenly a great cry of many voices in fear rose from the camp. He turned to see people making their way towards him.<p>

"Aaron!" he cried out.

His brother ran towards him.

"My brother, what is it?" he asked.

"Attend me, speak to the people."

"What am I to say?" Aaron asked.

"Tell them this: 'The **LORD** will fight for you, only hold your peace.'"

"I will, Moses." Aaron said, nodding his head and beginning to call for order. At once, Miriam ran up to Moses.

"Brother, words alone will not hold the people at bay, nor will they keep Pharaoh's army from destroying us." she said to him.

"What?" Moses asked.

"Haven't you heard?" she asked almost incredulously.

At that moment, Caleb and Joshua ran to where Moses and Miriam stood. Already a few people were gathering around the sandy beach where Moses and Aaron stood with Miriam. They wanted to know what their leaders had in mind for them. Though if they were looking for an answer, they should have looked neither at Moses nor Aaron, but at the cloud in front of them.

"Moses!" Caleb shouted. "The Egyptians are coming! Pharaoh has sent his armies, with war-chariots, to attack us."

"We may be trapped here," Joshua said. "But we can still fight. Shall we block the narrow pass?"

"No." Moses said.

"No?" a voice shouted from the crowd. Korah, the speaker, appeared. "Are we to die at the hand of the Egyptians?"

"Why did you take us out here to die in the wilderness?" another voice shouted from a short, angry man at Korah's side. "Huh? Was it because there were no graves in Egypt?"

"Didn't we tell you to leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians?" another voice asked.

"Better to live in bondage than die in the wilderness!" a fourth voice shouted.

"We're all going to die!" a voice shouted.

"The God of Moses is a murderer! That cloud led us to our doom!"

"Stone the bastard-prophet! Stone the murderers!"

"Fear not!" Moses suddenly shouted. His voice was strong, such that he himself was even surprised by the power in his voice. "The **LORD** has told me that He will be honored among the Egyptians this day. For after today you shall see them no more!"

"Of course not, we'll be dead!"

The people once again clamored for Moses' death, moving like a sea of anger against the prophet.

"Stand still, and see the salvation of the **LORD!**" Moses cried out.

Then a thing all-together fearful happened. The sun finally disappeared behind the hills, plunging the camp into total darkness. The sounds of the hooves of horses and the rumbling of wheels now rang clearly in the ears of the children of Israel. They cried out in fear as if for their very lives. And now the Pillar of Cloud disappeared. The cry of the people was even greater than before. Their hour of greatest need had come upon them, and now, to all appearances, the **LORD** had abandoned them. Only Moses kept faith, as he saw the Cloud disappear.

* * *

><p>The chariots were charging at top speed. Pharaoh, his heart hardened as never before, led the charge. There they were, writhing in a panic at the edge of the sea, no way for them to escape, no way to fight. It was easier than slaying a quail.<p>

"Onward!" he shouted to his charioteers. "A thousand gold debens to the one who kills the most Hebrew dogs!"

Just then, a flash of light appeared before him.

"_Back!_" cried one of those at his side.

"_Fire!_" another cried.

Before their eyes, a great wall of fire had erupted at the end of the narrow path, held together by a pillar that rose to the sky. Pharaoh thought he saw a figure of great power standing within the fire, with hands stretched out in rejection and denial.

"The work of their God!" cried another.

"Go through it!" Pharaoh ordered, seizing the whip from his charioteer.

"No, my lord! It is suicide!"

"_I said** through **it!_" Pharaoh ordered.

"My lord?" the charioteer asked. "Which way do we go? The fire is so hot it is unbearable to look at it!"

"Mighty Pharaoh!" the voice of the captain of the guard shouted. "We are surrounded by an unnatural darkness. We cannot even see ourselves, much less the way forward!"

* * *

><p>"<strong><em>Look!<em>**" a voice cried out.

"The pillar of fire!"

"We're saved!"

Moses knelt at the side of the sea, still deep in thought. The Pillar of Fire had moved just in time to save them, but now what? They were trapped more than before now. This plateau on the sea-side was large enough for them all to camp on, but there was no way out by climbing the mountains. Only a suicidal wade through the sea could save them now. What would the **LORD** do now?

A soft east wind blew behind him, caressing his shoulder gently.

"Wherefore criest thou unto Me?" the Voice said again. But the fire was a long ways off.

"**LORD**?" Moses whispered.

"Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward."

"And the sea?"

"Lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thy hand over the sea and divide it, that the children of Israel shall go through on dry ground through the midst of the sea. For this day I will be honored among the Egyptians."

Moses then stood up, his staff in hand, the wind at his back. Light from the pillar illuminating the entire plain as far as the sea. With one hand, he removed his veil, letting his face shine out for all the people to see.

"_Forward!_" Moses cried out, his voice stronger than ever.

"He's mad!" Korah shouted. "We can't survive in the sea much longer than if we fought Pharaoh!"

"_**Forward!**_"

Suddenly, the wind behind him grew stronger than before. His knees buckled beneath the strain of the wind at his back, but Moses remained standing, his arms stretched out. Waves started erupting across the surface of the sea. Great gusts of water shot up from out of the sea, opening up as two great waves, pushed open by the east wind. The waves upon the shore started to recede, faster than the tide had ever moved. The waves now moved at a great speed, held back by the strength of the wind.

To the astonished eyes of the watching Israelites, a path started to form at the foot of the shore. It inclined slowly downward, and on either side of the path, the ocean waves were pushed back as one pushes back the curtains of a window. Still farther the waters parted, revealing the path going straight through the ocean with a wall of water on the right and a wall of water on the left. Merely the sight of it was enough to catch every eye in the camp of the Israelites.

"_**FORWARD!**_" Moses cried out again.

"**_Behold!_**" Caleb, who now stood before the people, shouted. "**_The _LORD_ has opened the waters of the sea before us, and speeds us on our way with this wind!_**"

"**_Praise be to the _LORD_ God of Israel!_**" Joshua cried out. He and Caleb then set off down the path into the sea.

Slowly at first, but gaining people gradually, the people obeyed the command of God and Moses to go forward. They made their way warily and with dread and amazement in their eyes as they saw the ocean divided on two sides. The faithful were in tears of gratitude to God, while the faithless feared the waves would crash in and drown them on a moment's notice.

* * *

><p>The light from the pillar of fire far in the west guided their path down into the sea.<p>

All night the millions of Children of Israel and the mixed multitudes and their cattle marched through the midst of the sea. It would take the rest of the night for the ridiculously large amounts of people to make the slow march through the sea. Fortunately, the ground beneath their feet was dry, kept so by the blowing of the wind, so they and their animals walked on dry ground.

The mixed multitude brought up the rear, while each of the tribes marched with themselves. Only the lead company changed this rule: Moses, Aaron and Miriam, of the Levites, with Joshua of Ephraim. Behind them marched the tribes of Reuben, Levi and Judah. In the Judah column, led by the standard of the Lion, Nashon, Salmon, Mered and Caleb led the company astride the banner-bearer.

"Can you believe this, Caleb?" Nashon asked, looking about in awe at the waves on either side of the multitude.

Caleb said nothing.

"My lord," the young man named Mered said, walking up to Caleb's side. "We need to think about what's ahead of us. By God's hand, we crossed the sea, but what about..."

He noticed that Caleb was still not listening, but tears were in his eyes.

"My lord?" Nashon and Mered both asked.

"Behold the salvation of the **LORD!**" Caleb announced, raising his hands to the waves about them.

The prince of Judah and his servant couldn't help but look up. The waves coursed seamlessly in their great billowing walls on either side. Oftentimes, some sea creature or a group of fish could be seen along the side of the wall of water, or the light of the Pillar showed the dark abyss of the sea beyond the walls of water.

It was a spectacular sight.

* * *

><p>A gray dawn. The sun had not yet risen upon the gulf. But the pillar of fire was long gone. The plain that had once been the camp-site of the Children of Israel was now being filled with the chariots and foot-men of Egypt. Every Egyptian eye now turned towards the parted ocean just before their eyes. If they thought they had seen something when the plagues struck Egypt, they knew that all that they had seen before was nothing compared to this.<p>

At the front of the army, the captain of the guard called for a halt.

"Why are we stopping?" Pharaoh angrily demanded.

"Divine one," the captain said, turning to the Pharaoh. "These are slaves, not soldiers. Killing them is totally without honor. Therefore, send us in your stead to kill..."

"I will lead the attack myself if I have to!" Pharaoh shouted back. "Let all the world see that I, Nerferhotep, am strong enough to kill their weak God as His sheep with my **_own_** hand!"

The captain of the guard said nothing more. Who was he to defy the Pharaoh? A wave came from the lead chariot. The chariot of the Pharaoh. Horses neighed in protest. Whips cracked across their backs. A sea of horses and chariots charged down into the path leading down through the sea. Almost immediately, the sand became mud. Roars came from the horses as they became stuck in the wet sand. Chariots came to a halt, or shattered as they were pushed into stopping by the sudden halt of the horses. The captain was already off his horse, directing the others.

"Off the horses!" he shouted.

The charioteers tried to abandon their beasts, or at least lighten their loads. But all seemed futile.

"Forward!" shouted the Pharaoh.

"Back!" shouted one of the soldiers.

"Silence, dog!" Pharaoh returned to his underling. "We go forward!"

"We cannot move! We must go back!"

"Forward or die!"

"Mighty Pharaoh, let us leave this place!" shouted the captain of the guard. "The **LORD** God of Israel is on their side! We are nothing!"

"**_I_** am your god, you gutless son of a pig!" Pharaoh angrily returned.

"The captain speaks truth!" his charioteer said. "The God of Israel fights against us on their behalf."

Pharaoh stepped out of his chariot, drew his sword and impaled the captain's charioteer with his sword.

"Forward!" shouted the Pharaoh. "Bloody vengeance awaits us!"

* * *

><p>A soft glow was starting to permeate from behind the high mountains to the east. The dawn was quickly on its way. The last of the Israelites were on their way out of the sea, being ushered out by Caleb and Joshua. Moses, meanwhile, stood before the shore of the sea. There was no rock, no pinnacle upon which he would stand. But here was enough.<p>

"Moses," the Voice whispered. "It is time. Stretch out your hands over the sea, that the waters may return to their place."

Moses bowed his head. When would it all be enough?

"Moses!" Joshua shouted out from the vanguard. "Look!"

Though all was still in darkness, the glint of light on the armor of the soldiers making their way down the path through the ocean could be seen.

Soldiers...

"Pharaoh is coming after us!" Joshua shouted.

"Some general your God is!" Korah mocked. "He opens the waters for us, but leaves the way clear for_ them_ to come and kill us!"

"The **LORD** God is the God of our fathers!" Caleb shouted back.

Suddenly, Moses could speak. Strength was in his tongue again.

"_**BEHOLD, THE POWER OF GOD!**_"

All was silent, safe for the wind upon the waves, the lowing of cattle, the braying of donkeys and of sheep and the noise of war echoing from the depths of the sea. They were getting closer. Then all of a sudden, the cries of war turned to the wails of panic. Godless men cried out in despair as doom fell upon them. There was no hope of escape. The waves, which, for all night long had stood as two walls upon either side, came crashing down upon the Egyptian army. Surely, in Moses' mind, the destruction of the Flood was as terrifying to Noah and his family as it now was to him and his eyes.

Morning dawned at last. The sun shone down upon the people of Israel. Mouths were gaping open in shock. For four hundred years, they had endured the whip and the lash of the task-masters. They had grown to fear Egypt more than their fore-fathers had feared the **LORD**. To them, the hand of Egypt was more powerful than the hand of God. This very morning, they saw the hand of God in play. The ocean waves lapped against the sandy shore. A water-soaked body washed against the rocks, coming to rest at their feet.

_Thus the_ **LORD **_saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore._

Miriam was almost beside herself. For forty years she had served as the guardian of the people of Israel, the shepherdess of the tribe of Levi. She had endured the lash no less painfully than her brother had, than her people had. Now at last, she saw with her own eyes the fulfillment of what God had promised to His people Israel. The words her mother and father had told her as a child seemed to come true.

And now, like a child, the old woman danced for joy.

"Sing, daughters of Israel!" she shouted out. "The **LORD** God has triumphed gloriously! Behold, the horsemen and chariots of Egypt have been thrown into the sea!"

Taking a tambourine in her hand, she began to play and dance about, the vigor and happiness of her youth returned to her once again. With tears in her eyes, her sister-in-law Elishebah ran down and danced with her. One by one, other women joined in their dancing, singing out in joy. Soon, the whole gathering was joined together, dancing, singing or doing both, for the joy of their deliverance. And this is what they sang:

_The _**LORD**_ is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation. He is my God, and I will prepare Him a habitation; my father's God, and I shall exalt Him. The _**LORD**_ is a man of war, and Jehovah is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone._

_Thy right hand, O _**LORD**_, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O _**LORD**_, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of Thine excellency Thou hast overthrown them that rose up against Thee: Thou sentest forth Thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble, and with the blast of Thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea._

_The enemy said, 'I shall pursue, I shall overtake, I shall divide the spoil; my vengeance shall be satisfied upon them; I shall draw my sword and my hand shall destroy them.' But Thou dist blow with Thy wind, and the sea covered them: they sank as lead in the mighty waters. Who is like unto Thee, O _**LORD**_, among the great ones? Who is like unto Thee - glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out Thy right hand, and the earth swallowed them._

_Thou, in Thy mercy, hast led forth the people which Thou hast redeemed: Thou hast guided them in Thy strength unto holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid: sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestine. The dukes of Edom shall be amazed, the mighty men of Moab, trembling, shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away._

_Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of Thine arm they shall be as still as a stone, till Thy people pass over, O _**LORD**_, till the people pass over, which Thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in Canaan, the mountain of Thine inheritance. In the place, O _**LORD**_, which Thou hast made for them to dwell in: in the Sanctuary, O _**LORD**_, which Thy hands have established._

_The _**LORD**_ shall reign for ever and ever._

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: How did you like THAT?)<strong>

**(As you may have seen, sometimes I use the KJV Middle English in my writing. In _Joshua_, my excuse for not using ME was that I wanted to make the story less archaic and the dialogue feel more like regular conversation. In this, I still use semi-modern English - not too coarse, though - to make it seem like conversation, however, since these are the stories of old, the epics of yore and the ages of the past, there must be a certain kind of archaism in this. Hope you can deal with that.) **

**(The quotes that I italicized were from Exodus. The one line I liked because it sounded very ominous, and therefore I thought it stood to be quoted. As such, I do not own the _Exodus_, since that is Moses' and God's as well.)  
><strong>

**(I do not own _The Song of Moses_ either, but hope to one day sing it, along with the additional verse of "The Lamb".)**_  
><em>


	18. The Road to Sinai I

**(AN: Okay, we've got passed the Red Sea. But, unlike _Prince of Egypt_, our story is not yet done. The people are free, but no nation has been founded. We've got a long road ahead of us, and it starts here. This chapter is named after those 'The Road to...' episodes from _Family Guy_, where Stewie and that idiot dog [-cough- Brian, I mean] would go to fun places in space, time and dimensions. Here, our children of Israel are going one place, following the Pillar of cloud, and they've got many big adventures on the way, and we haven't even got to Sinai yet! There's also another flash-back. Now enjoy)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Road to Sinai I<strong>

_"But we must remember, that 'in the way' is not the same as 'in the Kingdom'"_

Whoever spoke these words was indeed a prophet.

The morning sun beat down heavily upon the multitudes as they marched from the shores of the Red sea. Behind them was the now impassable barrier of the sea. Before them lay trackless desert wastes, barren and hot. At the front of the column of people, the Pillar of cloud cast its cooling presence upon them, beating off the heat of the sun from off their backs even as it led them onward into the blistering wilderness of Shur.

When the day finally came to a close, they made camp by the warmth of the Pillar of fire. Salmon and Mered were with Caleb, the elder of their tribe, as he was helping the people with general repairs and setting up of the tents for the night.

"My lord Caleb," the young prince spoke. "It has been only a day since we left the Red Sea, and there has not been a sight of green pastures for miles around."

"Indeed." Caleb answered.

"But there are too many people, my lord." Mered added. "Not to mention all the animals we have."

"I heard that one can go weeks without food, but only days without water." Salmon said. "How many more days must we go on with no water?"

"Have faith, my sons." the patriarch said. "The Pillar continues to guide us. Besides, you all saw what happened at the Red sea. This is the kind of miracle we've all been hoping for, praying for, since before your fathers were born."

"What, to go out into the wilderness and starve to death?" Salmon asked.

Caleb chuckled at this.

"You're still young, my prince." he said at last. "I urge you not to pay much heed to what the people say."

"But the people..."

"Didn't you listen to what they were saying just two days ago?" he reminded them both. "They were willing to run back into the arms of slavery just because the sea hadn't opened up for us yet. We've been in Egypt too long, my prince. We've forgotten what it's like to trust in the **LORD**, to lean on Him a little rather than ourselves."

"That's insane!" the prince said. "To walk blindly into who knows what else waits for us, without a refuge, without strength!"

"God is our refuge and strength," Caleb returned. "Besides, Abraham walked blindly into what he didn't know waited for him at the command of the **LORD**. Do you remember?"

* * *

><p><em>He was almost seventy-five years old.<em>

_Though nobody lived into their four hundreds like Heber, people weren't considered old until they had reached eighty-five._

_His hair and beard were already graying._

_At his side was his wife._

_Sarai, only a year or two younger than he. Even into her middle years, she still possessed the beauty of her mother. Though it had been many years since cousins were married off to each other, as with Shem and the survivors of the Great Flood, it was still an odd thing for those who were kin to be wed. However, Sarai was a step-sister only, the daughter of Terah's second wife, before she married him._

_She was the love of his life. A more beautiful woman, who retained beauty like unto Eve or the daughters of Job even while the flower of her youth was growing old, a prince could never have._

_To his right was his best friend, Eleazar. He was the head servant of those he had inherited from his father. A stranger from the land of Damascus, he had nonetheless become a trusted servant and second-in-command before Abram. Though it was no easy task to maintain the welfare of three hundred and eighteen servants, Eleazar did his best and performed admirably._

_To Abram's heart, Eleazar was the son that he would never have._

_Across from him sat Lot, with his wife Ildith. They were both young, and very rich from their father's estate. Their father, Abram's brother, had died back in Ur, their homeland. He made Abram promise to look after Lot, and protect him. So far, there had not been much to protect in Haran, a city after which Lot's father had been named._

_To his right sat Abram's brother Nahor, and his wife Milcah. They had already endured much hardship with the death of their beloved father Terah. But his time had come. He was old, and he wanted to spend his days away from the noise and danger of the city-life in Ur, which brought him and his clan out into Haran._

_The news would be harder to break on Nahor than to any of the others._

_"I had a dream last night," Abram said, as he sat down with his family. "In it, the **LORD** spoke to me."_

_They gasped at this._

_All knew the stories. The _**LORD**_ God had spoken to man before the Flood almost face-to-face, but it was said that God had not spoken to man since Noah. Few even believed that He existed anymore, and many others followed after Baal, Asteroth and Dagon, or one of the other local deities._

_Heber's clan, however, seemed resolute in their faith in the _**LORD**_ God, the God of the Promise, despite the idolatry of their peers and neighbors._

_"What did He say, my love?" Sarai asked._

_Abram cleared his throat._

_Now was the moment of truth._

_"He told me that it is time to go." he said at last._

_Murmurs arose from those around._

_"Where will you be going?" Nahor asked._

_Abram shrugged._

_"Wherever God tells me to go."_

_"You mean He did not even _tell_ you where you are going?" Lot asked in disbelief._

_"He just said 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee.'"_

_"Ridiculous!" shouted Nahor. "Surely you cannot be considering this."_

_"I am not considering this, brother. I am doing this." Abram stated, raising his finger in affirmation of his decision._

_Nahor almost laughed._

_"Do you have any idea how crazy you sound, Abram?" he asked. "You-You're going to just up and leave, leave this beautiful, fertile land Father brought us to, and journey someplace that you do not even _know_?"_

_"It sounds incredible, Nahor, I know." Abram returned. "But was it not also incredible when the _**LORD**_ God told Noah to build an Ark when there had been no floods?"_

_"But this is different!" Nahor reasoned. "You're not going somewhere to run from a flood, you're just going out into the middle of nowhere for no reason!"_

_"No, my brother. It was not for no reason." Abram shook his head. "The _**LORD**_ God gave me a promise."_

_They hushed._

_"He said that He would make of me a great nation," Abram continued. "And that He would bless me, and make my name great. That He would bless those who bless me and curse those who curse me...and..." He paused, trying to imagine the magnitude of what he had just said._

_He looked at Sarai, who was fighting back tears._

_"He told me," Abram said. "That through me, all the nations of the world shall be blessed."_

_Nahor shook his head._

_"Believe in your God, brother," he said. "But the gods of Haran have blessed me with much increase. This is my home, and me and Milcah will stay here."_

_"As you wish it." Abram said, inclining his head._

_"I'll go with you." Lot said. "Didn't like it here to begin with. Besides, if you're to be a blessing, then, it would be an honor to my father's name to go with you, that he may be blessed through me."_

_"You honor your father's name with your devotion, my nephew." Abram said._

_"My lord," Eleazar spoke, turning to Abram. "If you go, shall the servants go as well?"_

_"Be pragmatic, Eleazar," Abram almost chuckled. "I can fight for myself and tend flocks for myself, but I have so many that it would be impractical to take care of them all on my own without..." He paused, knowing the damage such words did..._

_Especially to Sarai._

_"And I assume our families would be going with us, my lord." Eleazar continued._

_"Of course," Abram nodded. "I would not have my servants to leave their families behind and hate me for separating them from each other."_

_"But that's so many people, my lord!" exclaimed Eleazar. "And if the _**LORD**_ leads you to the east or the west, there will be nothing but desert. How shall we find food or water for so many people and our herds?"_

_"The _**LORD**_ will provide, Eleazar." Abram said. "All we have to do is wait for Him to lead, and then we will follow."_

* * *

><p>The trio realized they were not alone.<p>

"Princess," Salmon said, turning to the young Egyptian woman.

"Her name is Bithiah, my lord." Caleb reminded them. "She has entered into the Covenant of the **LORD** with us. She is one of our people."

"Your pardon, my lords," Bithiah said. "But I heard the story you told and I was intrigued by it. I would like to hear more."

"Certainly, Bithiah." Caleb answered. "But, for now, there are many who need my assistance before this night is over. Salmon, your father will be expecting you back at his tent. I believe you should return there now."

"Yes, my lord." answered the prince.

"Mered," Caleb turned. "You know these stories, probably better than I do. Maybe you can inform Bithiah of the history of our people. She has entered into the Covenant, she must be informed."

"Gladly, my lord." Mered answered.

"Give your father Ezra my best regards." Caleb said at last, giving the young man a firm pat on the shoulder.

The elder then walked off into the darkness, leaving the two youngsters by themselves.

"Come, my lady," Mered said, rising to his feet. "Stay with us in my father's tent. You will be welcomed with us."

"Thank you, my lord." Bithiah said, inclining her head towards him.

* * *

><p>As usual, at the head of the congregation were Moses and Aaron and those of the tribes of Levi and Judah who were most faithful to the <strong>LORD<strong>. They led, and it seemed as though they would walk on even if it were just by themselves. Those behind began getting anxious, since it had been three days since the Red Sea and there had not been one sign of water. Miriam, whose job it was to look for water, was starting to get annoyed. Millions of lives depended upon her skill to find the much precious source of life and nourishment.

But it just couldn't be found.

Just then Miriam came to a halt. Those around the front began to wonder what put her into a pause. She knelt down, examined the ground and placed her ear against it. Suddenly she rose up with a smile on her face.

"Water!" she cried out, cupping her hands over her mouth.

Almost every face turned to the one who spoke. Miriam waved them forward and to the left of the Pillar of Cloud. Nearby they could see the sign of palms around an oasis. The people ran in eagerness to feel the cool, refreshing water over their mouths and feel grass beneath their feet rather than sand and rocks. Just when it seemed like they could go on no more, help came at last. Cries of joy and praises to God rose from the people as they threw themselves around the small oasis. It was an answer to their prayers. This was no mirage, for all in the camp could see it, feel the hardy bark of the palm trees about its banks, feel the kiss of grass rather than sand at the water's edge.

Immediately, more cries rang out from the people. A short man, after tasting the water, walked towards Moses and Aaron with an angry look in his eyes.

"What kind of joke is this?" he shouted.

"Who are you?" Aaron asked.

"I am Dathan, son of Eliab of the tribe of Reuben." the short man angrily returned. "What is your God playing at, Moses? We can't even drink the water!"

"Elim is not but a few days from this spot." Joshua stated. "There's water there, from what I've heard."

"To hell with Elim!" Dathan shouted. "We need water now!"

Moses turned to Aaron and whispered something.

"Caleb! Joshua!" Aaron called out. "Find some axes and cut down one of these trees."

The two ran off and returned, both of them bearing axes.

They approached the nearest tree and began hacking at its trunk.

"Make sure," Aaron added. "The tree falls into the water once it has been cut down."

"What is the meaning of this?" Dathan asked.

"The **LORD** has spoken," Aaron answered. "'If thou will dillegently listen to the voice of the **LORD** thy God, do all that is right in His sight and give ear to His instructions, I shall not suffer the plagues of Egypt to come down upon you, for **I AM** the **LORD** that healeth.'"

"What good are plagues when we're practically dying of thirst?" mocked Dathan.

Just a little ways off, the two strong men had finished with the tree.

"It's coming down!" shouted Caleb.

Guiding it with their hands, the two pushed the tree so that when it fell, it struck the waters with a great splash.

"Now drink." Aaron offered.

"Are you mad as well?" Dathan shouted at Aaron. "It's marah! Bitter, I tell you!"

Joshua reached his hand down and brought some of the water of the desert-lake up to his mouth.

"Not anymore," he called up.

Looking here and there, making sure that he was not being watched, Dathan walked over to the edge of the water, touched it with his finger and then tasted it.

His scowl faded into a smile, then he brought both hands down and brought then up, filled with water, which he drank. He was now laughing as he drank to his heart's content. It took a little while for the people to realize this, but soon everyone was drinking to their heart's content. Moses and Miriam both were sighing in relief, thankful for the** LORD**'s timely rescue.

* * *

><p>A whole month and half of one had passed since the Tenth Plague bought freedom for the people of Israel. Elim was a haven of rest for the people after a long, arduous trek through the blistering wilderness of Shur. Seventy palm trees and twelve wells of water were more than enough to keep the people alive, fed and in good spirits for several days. Meanwhile, Moses would sit before the people and listen to all of their problems, as if he were king.<p>

This was perhaps the most tedious and tiring task he had undertaken, for there were so many people that he could not hear every case to its full, for everyone had to have their say. And while one was speaking, another case would be brought forward to Moses' attention, so that he couldn't even sleep.

The people would have loved to have stayed in Elim for as long as they could, but they were off before long and on their way across the desert again. They now entered the molten wilderness of Sin. On every side of this rocky wasteland, granite sentinels stood as towers of living death on either side of the wadis through which they passed. For surely now they faced the fear of death, being without food ever since Elim.

During the mid-day, the multitudes were coming to rest in a large plain. While the tents were being set up and the people were coming together for their camp, a small group of people walked towards the head of the company, where the Pillar of Cloud was presented. There they knew they could always find the ones they needed to go to if they wanted to complain.

"Who comes before the **LORD** for judgment?" Aaron asked the head of the company.

"I am On, son of Peleth of the house of Reuben." their leader said. "We come here seeking answers for our people's hunger!"

"We're starving!" one shouted.

"We're all starving," Aaron tried to plead with them. "But we must have faith!"

"Faith?" On questioned. "Faith in what? It's you and Moses who have brought us out here. Why, to kill us all with hunger?"

"What would you prefer, then?" Aaron asked, trying to placate their slowly rising anger.

"We want food!" On shouted.

"Would that the **LORD** had killed us while we were in Egypt!" a thin, wisp of a man with a thick beard groaned.

"How dare you!" Aaron shouted a little flustered.

"My cousin Abiram speaks the truth," On stated. "In Egypt, we sat by the flesh-pots daily and ate bread to our fill."

"Let's go back to Egypt!" one of the crowd shouted.

"Listen to yourselves!" one shouted. All eyes turned to Caleb, who had joined in Aaron's defense. "We were slaves in Egypt! We ate what food we grew for ourselves, whatever our masters didn't tax away. Here we are free!"

"But the food! We're starving!"

"Starving for what?" Caleb returned. "The Egyptians threw away what meat they felt was unfit for their bellies, and those are your flesh-pots: garbage! You would rather crawl back like dogs, eager to eat the refuse of your defeated masters, than walk in freedom?"

"Freedom to die, you mean!" Abiram bit back.

"Is it too much to wait a little while longer?" Caleb begged. "Remember Marah! We had no water, but the **LORD** made the bitter waters turn sweet, and then gave us the oasis of Elim for our troubles!"

"Would that we were back there!"

"Don't you see? He's been with us all this time, He'll come through again!"

"Caleb, hold your p-peace!" Moses called out. Caleb stood down as the veiled prophet stood once more with Aaron. He whispered into his brother's ear and Aaron, who still looked uncomfortable at being the one to tell these angry, starving people what to do, spoke now to those assembled.

"Hear the word of the **LORD**:" he began. "This evening, the **LORD** shall give you flesh to eat, that you may know that it was He that brought you out of the land of Egypt. And on the morrow, the **LORD** shall rain down bread to your fill, that you may see the glory of the **LORD**, who hears your murmurings against Him! Now go back to the people and tell them to come near to the **LORD!**"

Several minutes later and all the angry, foul-tempered and hungry people of Israel stood before Moses and the Pillar of Cloud. Immediately, a sudden bright light shone from within the cloud. The people cried in shock, and Moses knelt down before it. A moment of silence followed, and then Moses stood up and removed the veil from off his own face.

"What are we?" he asked, with strength in his voice. "I and my brother Aaron. We are not your leaders, for only the **LORD** leads you. You have not murmured against us, but against the **LORD!**"

The people fell down in sadness, fearful for their very lives. The light died down and Moses returned his veil over his face, but the Pillar of Cloud remained. Moses then waved over to Aaron to come near. His brother walked over to where he stood.

"What does the **LORD** say, brother?" Aaron inquired.

"The **LORD** will s-send meat in the evening," he began. "And bread tomorrow: for six d-d-days. And on the sixth day, there shall be twice as m-m-m-much, that the people shall gather a double p-p-p-portion, for there shall be none on the seventh day."

"No what?" Aaron queried. "You're not making any sense!"

"Just wait, Aaron. Just wait."

* * *

><p>Mered son of Ezra was the first to rise in the camp of Judah that morning. He reached over to drink from the water-skin he had filled at Elim. He had to make it last, since there had been no food or water since then: aside from a bit of roast quail from yesterday evening. Taking a few sips, he then put his robe upon his body, girt his loins with his belt and shod his feet with sandals.<p>

He opened the flaps of his tent and his eyes exploded in surprise. They were in the desert, and even in the fertile land of Goshen, it didn't rain much. The inundation of the Nile river made the land so green. He rubbed his eyes, thinking he was dreaming, but suddenly he discovered that this was no dream at all.

A thin layer of a white substance was covering the ground. Was this the fabled snowy frost that was said to cover the high mountains in some remote parts of the world? But those were high elevations, and this desert was high, yet the morning air, though cool, was still dry and it would be hot in the morning.

"What is this?" Mered wondered aloud. He crawled closer and saw that the white substance were small round things, millions of them scattered across the camp. For a moment, he wondered if it were the droppings of birds, since there had been a great many quail in the evening. Though he saw that there was none on the ground when they went to bed that night. Warily, he lifted the one of the white things up off the ground and felt it between his fingers. It had the consistency of bread. With even greater caution, he licked the thing with his tongue. It did not taste foul, and so he bit off a small piece of it.

Immediately, his expression changed. What he tasted was like bread, nourishing and savory, yet it was sweet: not so much that it made his body feel ill, but just enough to whet the taste-buds. He suddenly felt enlivened, strengthened, like he could easily run from Goshen to the catarachts in the south of Egypt.

"Mered!" he heard a voice shouting. Looking up, he saw the tent of his father buzzing with activity. A few tents down, he saw the main tent of Nashon and his family also stirring, as they gazed at the white stuff.

"Father!" Mered returned as he saw Ezra appear from outside of his tent. "What is it?

"I do not know!" exclaimed the elder. Just then, young Salmon came running over to their camp.

"Ezra! Mered!" he called out. "What is this?" He held up a handful of the white substance.

"Mana!" Ezra threw his hands up in a non-commital answer. Salmon turned to Mered, who shrugged as well.

"Where's Caleb?" Ezra queried.

"He's gone to the front of the camp, to ask for Moses' advice." Salmon returned.

For the next several minutes, the people, now roused from slumber by reason of the much noise, were moving about the camp in the gray hours before dawn, shoveling this white mana aside so that they did not have to step on it. It was just everywhere, like dew.

Caleb ran through the camp of Judah, coming first to the tent of Nashon.

"People of Judah!" Caleb announced. "I bring news!"

"What is this mana?" Nashon inquired, as several of the nearest people gathered together.

"Moses says," Caleb said. "That it is the bread which the **LORD** has given us to eat."

"Eat?" one queried.

"Yes," Caleb continued. "Now, quickly, get your hands on as many pots as you can: an omer's measure only. We're to gather this mana before the dawn comes."

The people scattered, looking for pots for the measuring out of this white mana as quickly as possible. Men, women and children all worked together to get as much as they could, before measuring it out in their pots. About an hour later, the sun sent its golden beams across the desert. Before their eyes, they saw the ungathered white stuff melt away like frost in the light of the day. But the mana in their baskets and jars did not melt.

"So, Caleb," Nashon wondered, looking at the pot in the hand of one of his servants. "What do we do with it now?"

"We eat it," Caleb said.

"But some of us weren't able to gather enough!" a woman cried out.

"Indeed?" Caleb asked. Walking over, he saw that she had a pot in her hand, the correct size, with white, fluffy mana brimming up to the top. "Fear not, for I tro that the **LORD**, who sent this, will ensure that those who gathered more will not have anything left over, and those who gathered little will lack nothing."

With this, the people began to disperse, with their treasured mana in their hands.

"Wait!" Caleb held out his hands. "I have this more to say." The people stopped and turned around. "The **LORD** has also said that there will be mana in the morning tomorrow. Therefore He has instructed that you eat all of the mana you have gathered, you and your families. Leave nothing of it for the morning."

The people went off to have their meal, only a few of them actually paying attention to what Caleb had spoken.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: It kind of confused me, why there are two mentions of the Israelites being given quail to eat, but only the latter one as a punishment for complaining. My reasoning is that the first one, the one mentioned here, was to 'tie' the people of Israel down for the evening, while the rest of the time they were to eat the bread from Heaven, that they might now that 'man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God!')<strong>

**(Btw, those words came from Deuteronomy first before Christ quoted them in the NT, therefore you're bound to see that and 'love thy neighbor as thyself' in this story. Don't be alarmed, they come from the Old Testament/Torah as well.)**

**(Originally wanted one big chapter, but that's going to be tedious. So I give you this half, and will bring _The Road to Sinai II_ a.s.a.p. There'll be an action sequence!)**


	19. The Road to Sinai II

**(AN: Here we are. Another good thing about having _The Road to Sinai_ in two parts is that we get to have the Ten Commandments given at chapter 20, like in _Exodus_. :D)**

**(Thank you once again for reviewing. In answer to some of the questions posed, I say that there may have been Egyptians in the 'mixed multitude' [the ones carrying torches from _On Eagles' Wings_], but they were never really considered 'part' of the congregation, just the 'mixed multitude'. As for how Jambres acted, he is an allegory of modern people, who have great faith in times of duress [when the plagues hit and he was under its power], but once the threat of plagues are gone, then their faith is proven to be nonexistent. As for how I say the name of the LORD in my works, well, JEHOVAH is also YHVH, and therefore, that I not profane His name by saying JEHOVAH all that much, I resort to the euphemistic LORD.)**

**(Here is how I said that. _Jod_ is often Anglicized as a hard 'j' as in 'joke', though the original pronunciation is a soft 'j' as in 'fjord'. And since 'v' and 'w' are the same [i believe] in Hebrew, the word JEHOVAH, if the two ending vowels are switched, becomes JAHOVEH, or YHVH.)**

** (Now enjoy)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Road to Sinai II<strong>

It was the widest place so far since Elim. Though the camp of the Israelites was large, so much that it seemed to eat up wherever they went, the valley of Rephidim was so large that it could easily fit the whole of the camp and then some. The high mountains and rock formations meant that they were more or less hidden from unfriendly eyes who might casually look from a great distance.

This wide valley, however, had a very serious problem with it. Even now, after the third day, Miriam had reported back to Moses and Aaron with the same news: there was no water in this dry, rocky pan of a valley.

"Are you certain?" Aaron asked, as Miriam stood before he and Moses, who in turn were before the gathered congregation again. "There might be something else, somewhere we haven't looked."

"I have looked, brother." Miriam said, trying very hard to keep from losing her temper. "There's not as much as grass anywhere in this God-forsaken desert." She turned to Moses. "Are you sure we're supposed to be here?"

"The c-cloud has not moved, sister." Moses said, his eyes turned toward the Pillar of cloud that stood resolutely before the people. Miriam sighed. The people were more or less guessing by now that they were at another snag.

"What's happened now?" Korah son of Izhar, one of the Levites, asked Moses. "Where's our water?"

"We must be patient!" Aaron returned. "Have faith."

"Faith?" Korah returned. "Faith in what, a cloud of dust? We need water!"

"Why d-d-do you tempt the **LORD** your God?" Moses asked.

"W-What's the matter, Moses?" Korah mocked. "Has the heat made your ears stone as well as your tongue weak? We need water! Or is this why you've brought us out here in the first place, to kill us all of thirst?" He turned back to those people behind him. "Moses doesn't care about you! He speaks lies to your ears that you go running out into the wilderness to die, chasing fantasies!"

"It is not we who have led you out here, cousin." Aaron returned. "The power of God has brought us out of Egypt."

"God?" returned Korah. "Is God really with us or not? If He were, couldn't He send water up from the earth for us to drink?"

"**LORD!**" Moses cried, turning to the Pillar of cloud. "They're r-r-r-r-ready to stone me! What shall I do?"

The voice spoke again.

"Go before the people and take the rod in your hand, and go." He said. "Behold, I will stand before thee upon the rock in Horeb, which is Sinai, and thou shalt smite the rock and water shall come out of it that the people may drink."

As Moses turned away from the cloud, he saw a rock nearby. It was twice as tall as a man, and as thick as a man is tall. With the staff in hand, he walked over to the rock. While standing before it, he took the staff in both hands and struck the rock upon the middle.

Immediately there was a loud cracking sound, and the large rock was split in two. Water was gushing forth from it like blood from a wound. It was pouring out so fiercely that it began spilling down from the adjacent rocks and making small pools here and there before it. The people did not have to think twice, for they now had what they wanted and eagerly threw their faces into the cool waters that came from the rock, quenching their dying thirst.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry from far in the rear of the company. Moses immediately began walking thereto, wondering if there would ever be a moment when nothing bad would happen. Aaron and Miriam came running after him, eager also to see what had caused this new commotion.

At the back of the company, where the mixed multitudes - those who were not of Israel - walked after them, they saw many in preparation. Some of the Egyptians who believed were standing guard, using whatever they could find to protect themselves. Hebrew shepherds had their staves ready as well, and the rear looked like a beehive buzzing from the incursion of a wasp.

"Moses!" Caleb called out. He and Joshua were the first on the scene, along with a young man a few years older than Caleb. They were arranging for several people to be brought in, many with very grievous wounds or arrows sticking out from their bodies. Others were also dead.

"What evil has befallen us?" Aaron asked.

"We were attacked, just now," Caleb said. "They targeted the rear, finding the weakest and feeblest of us, those who couldn't defend themselves. They took what livestock they could and killed whoever got in our way."

"Who has done this?" Moses asked, getting angry.

A noise came from one of the wounded. Looking over, they saw it was the Hittite trader Jamal, laying down with the others, who had been cut down during the battle. Moses and Aaron walked over to where he lay and knelt down.

"Who did this?" Moses asked.

"Amalekites," the poor Hittite groaned. "They've been known to attack the rear of caravans and travelers." He held up his hand to Moses. "I'm afraid that I shall not see the goodly land your God is leading you to."

"No!" Moses retorted.

"Do not lose faith," he said to Moses. "Your God saved you at the Red Sea, He will surely guide you to the end...to possess the brave country..."

The man sighed, and though his eyes remained open, he did not move. Moses quietly sobbed, for not only had one in his charge died, but this man, a Hittite, had more faith than the people of Israel. In part, Moses saw, he had seen his desire fulfilled, to have those outside of the Hebrews know at least something of God. This mixed multitude was proof of that.

A pity, though, that his story had to end so soon.

"Moses?" Caleb asked.

Slowly the figure of Moses, tall and imposing, swathed in his robe and his eyes shining through his veil, turned to the others.

"We fight." he returned. He picked up his staff and began walking through the crowd, with the others walking after him in his wake.

"Give the order and we will obey it!" Joshua said. Moses turned to the brave man of Ephraim.

"I'm appointing you commander of the Armies of Israel," Moses said, his voice filled with strength in his anger against the Amalekites. "Choose all those of fighting age and get them ready for battle."

"Yes, Moses!" Joshua returned.

"Moses!" Caleb said. "What shall you do?"

"I shall go to the top of the hill," he pointed towards the hill nearby. "And stand there, with the Rod of God in my hand!"

"I request permission to go with Joshua into the battle," Caleb asked. "He's a good warrior, but he will need all the help he can get."

"Very well." Moses said.

"Here," Caleb called over the older man at his side and brought him before Moses. "This is my cousin Hur. He's a good man, a man of faith, who will serve you in my absence."

"What think you, Hur?" Moses asked.

"The **LORD** will deliver Amalek into our hands!" Hur answered.

"Good," Moses nodded.

"I'll go with you, brother!" Aaron added. "I'm no fighter, and there would be little use for a diplomat on the field of battle."

Moses nodded. He then turned to the last one left of his house.

"What shall I do?" Miriam asked.

"Assemble those who cannot fight," Moses said. "The women, the children, the elderly and the cattle. Bring them behind the hill, out of sight of the enemy. God forbid that they break through and pillage them while we are doing battle."

"Yes, Moses." she nodded.

While they dispersed, preparing the people for the battle to come, Moses knelt down with his eyes turned towards the Pillar of Cloud, now settling by the hill.

"What shall I d-d-d-do, **LORD**?" he asked.

"Stand upon the hill," He answered. "Raise your hand and thy staff unto Heaven, and they shall be delivered into thy hand."

* * *

><p>From the hill, one could see all of the valley of Rephidim and the lands around it. They saw that the attack parties of the Amalekites were just a few scout parties of a much larger raiding band, that was now descending upon their valley. They must have gotten wind of their preparations for battle. Already Joshua and his men were prepared, waiting for the signal from the hill. The men of Amalek were armed with horses and camels, bows and arrows: the people of Israel had sheer numbers on their side. Of the six hundred thousand men of Israel, Joshua chose a force of ten thousand.<p>

Moses lifted his staff up and with a great cry, the Army of Israel assaulted the on-coming Amalekites. There were armed with nothing more than tools - staves, mattocks, shovels and more of the like, with very few swords; though the people of Benjamin had the finest slingers of all the tribes - but they fell upon the enemy like a wave. The enemy were being driven back by nothing more than former slaves, workers. Already the enemy were in retreat.

Moses laughed, and leaned upon his staff as he watched the people drive the enemy back. But while he yet boasted, behold, the enemy had regrouped and charged again. Now the lines of the Hebrews began to be pushed back, and damages were being dealt by the battle-hardened and skilled warriors of Amalek, who had weapons of iron and brass. Joshua's army was being pushed back, and was starting to retreat.

"No!" Moses cried. "O **LORD**, please! Do not forsake us now, in our time of greatest need!"

"We're losing!" Aaron shouted. "Joshua's armies will be routed!"

"**LORD**, save us!"

"Moses!" Hur returned. "Your staff! Lift up your staff again!"

Looking down, he saw that he had failed to keep his staff up. Immediately he thrust it back up into the sky. Immediately, the swords and spears of the Amalekites were of no use against the people of Israel as they charged at them again. Cries of joy rang from the throats of the people of Israel as they were pushing the enemy back in full force. Though they still fought on valiantly, Amalek was losing ground.

Hours passed by, and the battle waged on again. The people of Israel were moving in great power against the people of Amalek, who refused to surrender. They hoped that they could once again gain the advantage as they had done before towards the beginning of the battle.

At the top of the hill, Moses began to sigh and grunt as his hands became tired from holding up the staff. Indeed, all of his strength was being used to keep that staff elevated as high as possible. But, as with all humans, weakness and the strain of holding the arms up high for a long period of time began to get to him, and his elbows started to bend, bringing his hands down even lower.

"No!" Aaron cried out, commenting on the battle below. "We're being driven back again!"

"Don't just stand there!" Hur shouted. He walked over to Moses' right-hand side, and held up one arm with both of his hands. "Come! Let us add our strength to his and hold his arms up!"

Aaron departed from the side of the hill and then walked over to Moses' left-hand side, holding up the other arm. From that point on, there was no falling back for the armies of Israel. All the rest of the day they fought and when it was night, the people of Israel drove the Amalekites away, with many slain from both sides. When at last there were no more Amalekites in combat with the armies of Israel, they gave a great cry of joy.

Moses almost fainted into Aaron and Hur's arms.

"We-We-We need to make an altar," Moses said. "Here, on this hill. It shall be named **JEHOVAH**-Nissi: the **LORD** is my banner. And Aaron..."

"Yes?" his brother asked.

"I need to write."

* * *

><p>It took a little over seven days for everything to get back to normal. Those who were wounded were attended to by those with skill of healing, while those who were died were buried in desert. Because of his assistance during the battle, Hur joined Caleb, Joshua, Aaron and Miriam as those who could often be found with Moses.<p>

Moses, meanwhile, was sitting in the tent of Aaron, writing in his book about what had happened. He had almost finished two books while in Midian: one concerning the whole story of Job the prince of Uz. He also had another, from the Creation of the World to Abraham. The rest he would needs get from the elders of Israel, since Jethro had little knowledge of the events of Isaac and his descendants. In Aaron's tent, Moses noticed the small pot of mana sitting by itself in the corner of the room.

It was long after morning, and it was the first day of the week as well. Seeing it brought to mind some very unpleasant things that had happened the first week the mana came in the camp. But this was different. This mana had been within them for almost a month, and did not rot or spoil or melt at all.

Just then, the flap of the tent opened up. Hur was standing before the entrance.

"Moses!" he called out. The old man wrapped his veil over his face and turned to Hur, who was at least ten or twenty years younger than he himself was.

"Yes, Hur?" he queried.

"A caravan approaches." he said. "Too small to be any threat. Mostly women and children, but there's an old man at the lead. A venerable looking elder, at least twice my own age, and that's saying a lot!"

Moses' face lit up - aside from its eternal glow - and he placed the leaves of his parchment down, took up his staff and stood up suddenly.

"Lead the way, Hur."

They went off at a running pace towards the outside of the camp. As Moses saw the caravan arrive and got a glimpse of the one who sat at the head, he gave a cry of joy and walked briskly out to meet them. When the old man on the camel saw Moses approaching, he slowly got himself down and walked out to the prophet, arms open to meet him.

"Jethro!" Moses greeted.

"My son," Jethro returned, embracing Moses and kissing him twice upon the cheek, as per custom. "The LORD has indeed been with you. When word reached my ears of your victory over the Amalekites, I knew that I had to meet you again."

"How do you fare, my lord?" Moses asked.

"Alas," Jethro returned. "My body has grown stiff with age. I am not as young as I once was. Regardless, I made the journey here at once to hear all that has happened to you." He pointed back. "And as you can see, I have brought the family as well."

A smile crept across Moses' face as he saw Gershom and Eliezer alight off their camels and run into his arms. He laughed heartily at seeing them, his own face reflected back at him in these two young men, and marveled at the strength of their embraces. Lastly came Zipporah, his wife. She seemed to have forgiven him of the incident which caused them to depart, for she smiled when she met him and when they kissed, it was a long while before they parted.

"Happy am I," Moses said. "T-T-To be united with you again!"

"I'm happy to see you as well, my love." Zipporah smiled. "I see that the **LORD** was with you. Here you are, out of Egypt, and the Pharaoh did not kill you."

Moses nodded. He then waved Jethro over to him.

"Come," he announced. "I want you to meet my people."

Moses led his father-in-law and his wife and sons over to those who attended him daily. First, he stopped before those who were of his immediate family.

"Miriam, Aaron," he announced. "This is Jethro, my father-in-law and high p-p-p-priest of Midian. This is my brother Aaron, and my sister Miriam."

"My lord!" Miriam bowed before Jethro.

"May the **LORD** God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you, Jethro of Midian." Aaron returned, bowing a bit lower than his sister and using his eloquent blessing.

"Show-off." Miriam muttered beneath her breath.

"This is my wife, Zipporah." Moses said, introducing her to Miriam and Aaron. Miriam said nothing, but simply nodded at Zipporah when she stood before her. Aaron, on the other hand, embraced her.

"You are like a sister to me, daughter of Jethro." he said.

"I am honored, Aaron." she returned.

"These are my children." Moses said, indicating to Gershom and Eliezer. "Gershom and Eliezer, meet your Aunt Miriam and your Uncle Aaron."

The two bowed before the elders before them.

"Fine young men you have here, brother." Aaron said. He then turned to the two. "I have four sons, the elder two of which are your age. If you would, I should like you to meet them."

"Yes, please." Eliezer inquired.

"We'd be very glad," Gershom, who was almost twenty now, said. "We've been stuck with our aunts all this journey, and no one else our age."

Aaron smiled.

"Moses," Jethro said. "I would like to hear all that has befallen you since you left us all those many months ago."

"Very well." The two then went off, discussing all that had transpired while they were away. Gershom and Eliezer were called back by their mother. While Aaron was leaving, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you see the woman Moses called his wife?" Miriam's voice whispered in his ear. "As black as sin, she is."

"Aye." Aaron noncommittally responded.

"Like those Cushite women of the mixed multitude." Miriam said with contempt in her voice.

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, Moses and Jethro were eating in Aaron's tent. Miriam, Aaron and Zipporah were there as well, though Miriam did not even look at Zipporah at all. The food consisted of what little Jethro and Zipporah had brought with them, as well as bread and pastries made with mana, which Elishebah had ground into meal from that which had been collected early that morning.<p>

"Shall we bless the food?" Aaron asked, breaking the silence of this tense dinner. They nodded. As the eldest in the room, Jethro was given the floor.

"Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the World, who gives to us bread from Heaven. And blessed be the **LORD**, who hath delivered His servant Moses and His people out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of the Pharaoh."

"Amen!" was said by one and all.

They began to eat. Once Jethro and Zipporah tasted the food made with mana, however, they seemed very pleased.

"I daresay," Jethro began. "This bread you make gives new life to these old bones. What is the stuff that makes it so delectable?"

"It is made from mana," Aaron said. "The bread from Heaven which the **LORD** causes to rain down upon us every morning with the dew."

"It is sweet," Zipporah commented. "Like wafers made with honey, yet not too sweet."

They continued eating, all the while savoring the taste of the mana-bread.

"Moses?" Jethro began.

"Hmm?"

"Tomorrow we shall offer a sacrifice before the **LORD**." he said. "To commemorate the good deeds He has done to your people in bringing them out of captivity."

Moses nodded. While they continued eating, the sound of commotion was heard outside the tent. Caleb entered the tent door.

"Your pardon, Aaron." he said. "Moses, the people are ready for you."

"Ready for what, my son?" Jethro inquired.

"I listen to their cases and judge accordingly." Moses answered.

"Sir," Jethro said to Caleb. "How many are there assembled outside our tent now?"

"The whole congregation." was the answer.

Jethro almost coughed to keep himself from laughing.

"You mean," he turned to Moses. "That the whole congregation of Israel stands before you to receive judgments?"

Moses nodded in response.

"But you cannot do this." Jethro reasoned. "You'll wear yourself out. You yourself said that the people are too much for you."

"Sometimes it is so," Moses returned. "The **LORD** told them not to keep mana overnight, but they did and then they complained that their tents stank and were crawling with m-m-maggots. Then He comm-m-m-manded that they gather double on the Sabbath of the Seventh Day, but they w-w-went out to gather on the Sab-b-bath and complained that there was n-n-no mana."

"You need to take rest, Moses."

"But I have to let the people k-n-n-n-now the commands and ordinances of the **LORD**." was Moses' reply.

"Then do so," Jethro began. "But do not have all the people wait on you to hear their cases. If you will take my advice, go and find good, honest men from out of the congregation, such as fear God, love truth and abhor covetousness, and place them as deputy rulers and representatives for your people. They will oversee the trivial matters, and those that are greater, they will give to you, who will bring them before God."

Moses nodded. Jethro's advice seemed wise and it made all the sense, but he needed the 'okay' from the **LORD**. He would pray about the matter and then decide whether or not it would be wise to do so.

"Jethro." Aaron spoke up.

"Yes?"

"You are a native to this land, are you not?"

"Yes, I and my daughters have kept our flock among many of these hills and valleys before."

"Perhaps you can tell us, then," Aaron said. "Where we are."

"Right now," he said. "You are on the eastern border of the desert of Sin, a week's march from the plain of Rephidim, where, as I recall from what Moses said, you won a great victory against the Amalekites."

They all nodded.

"Within the space of two weeks," he finished. "You shall be at the very foothills of Mount Sinai."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: And therefore, a journey of three months has been collapsed into two chapters.)<strong>

**(Please, if I make any grammatical errors, any words out of place or fail to capitalize and bold JEHOVAH, YHVH or LORD, please inform me. Thank you so far for the reviews, they've helped me keep at my work.)**


	20. The Ten Commandments

**(AN: Here we are at last, at the great moment of truth. The mountain of Sinai.)**

**(Inspiration for the climb up to Sinai came from _The Pilgrim's Progress_, so I don't own that either. Unlike most other depictions of the giving of the Ten Commandments, I have it similar to how it appears in _Exodus_, where the Law is given to all the people publicly, not in secret. Another reason is so that there is no doubt or confusion about the Torah and its commandments, so that those who do [spoilers] have no excuse for their evil).**

**(Now enjoy this epic moment!)**

* * *

><p><strong>The Ten Commandments<strong>

_Mount Sinai._

After three months in the desert, the Children of Israel stood now before the summit of this great mountain. All about the mountain they were assembled, sprawled out in every direction. They received mana from Heaven and water from a large, split stone similar to the one at Rephidim that sat at the foot of the mountain, which flowed into a wide basin for all of the people to drink. The elders of the congregation, those seventy who had been appointed to rule over the people in Moses' stead, waited eagerly at the foot of the mountain while Moses went up.

As soon as they had stopped there, the Pillar of cloud suddenly went to the top of the mountain and rested there. Moses was busy speaking with the **LORD**, and they would be ready to hear what He said when Moses came down.

A few moments later he came down, his staff in hand, and called for the elders. Thirteen head elders there were, one for each of the Tribes and one to represent the mixed multitude. However, since they weren't technically 'Hebrews', just strangers traveling with them, many of Israel were contemptuous at having them represented with them as equals, especially when there were Egyptians among them.

"Moses!" Nashon, the elder of Judah, spoke up. "What has the **LORD** spoken?"

Moses called Aaron forward and whispered the instructions to him, who then turned to the elders.

"Let us go down," he said. "That all the people may hear the word of the **LORD**."

They nodded and followed Moses and Aaron down the side of the mountain, down to a small hill just before the camp. Aaron placed his hands over his mouth and tried to speak. Unfortunately, the people were not attentive to what he was saying. Seeing that they were trying to be heard, a nearby Joshua took out the Horn of Nun and blew a loud blast upon it. This got the people's attention.

"Hear the word of the **LORD!**" Aaron shouted. "'Thou hast seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself. If thou wilt obey My voice in deed, and keep My covenant, then thou shalt be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people - for all the earth is Mine: a holy nation and a kingdom of priests.'"

"All that the **LORD** has said," Korah, the representative for the tribe of Levi, announced. "We shall do!"

"Yes, we shall!" Nashon confirmed. He then turned to the people. "Won't we?"

As if with one word, the people knelt down and chanted the words that Korah had said:

"All that the **LORD** has spoken, we will do!"

Moses showed no sign of recognizing this. The past three months in the desert made him very suspicious of the 'promises' the people of Israel said, since their word could change like the day into the night. He walked over to Aaron and whispered into his ear.

"Listen to what the **LORD** has spoken, you Children of Israel!" Aaron said again. "Purify yourselves today and tomorrow. Wash your clothes and let men not visit the beds of their wives. Be prepared, for on the third day, the **LORD** shall come unto us upon the mountain, in a thick cloud, before all our eyes, that we may hear when He shall speak and believe in Him forever."

"Amen!" the elders said.

"Amen!" the people replied with one voice.

"Lastly," Aaron concluded. "None shall set foot on the mountain, or touch the foot of it, neither man nor beast, or they shall surely die."

"Amen!" they all said with one voice.

* * *

><p>The morning of the third day saw the mana rain down for the people, but before the sun arose, the earth suddenly began shaking. The sound of thunder and lightning broke the morning air. Looking to the mountain, they saw that the Pillar of cloud had erupted into a great black cloud that surrounded the entire summit of the mountain. Orange flashes came from within the cloud, as if a great inferno of fire had erupted on the top of the mountain.<p>

At last, there came the low braying of a great trumpet, greater than the Horn of Nun was ever capable of producing, echoing from the top of the mountain. It sounded long and loud, slowly growing in volume with each moment it resounded.

"That's the signal!" the elders called out. As one man, the people began gathering at the foot of the mountain. In response to the word of the **LORD**, they did not advance upon the mountain, but stayed beneath it as were instructed. The people were now gathered around the foot of the mountain, with Moses and Aaron standing at the very base, closest to the mountain-side.

The noise of the trumpet grew louder and louder, and the people huddled upon the ground, with their hands over their ears. Suddenly all was silent. At last a voice spoke, like the sound of many waters, and it spoke before all the people, in their own language in their ears.

"**I AM**_ the _**LORD**_ thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage._

"_Thou shalt have no other gods before Me._

"_Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for _**I**_, the _**LORD**_ thy God, _**AM**_ a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generation, of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments._

"_Thou shalt not take the name of the _**LORD**_ thy God in vain; for the _**LORD**_ will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain._

"_Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the Seventh Day is the Sabbath of the _**LORD**_ thy God. In it, it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the _**LORD**_ made Heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the Seventh Day: wherefore the _**LORD**_ blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it._

"_Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the _**LORD**_ thy God giveth thee._

"_Thou shalt not kill._

"_Thou shalt not commit adultery._

"_Thou shalt not steal._

"_Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor._

"_Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor _anything_ that is thy neighbor's!_"

As soon as **JEHOVAH** had finished speaking, a great cry came over the people, and they threw themselves to the ground in fear, crying out in their panic.

"No more!" one of the Israelites shouted, weeping aloud. "Please, let Moses speak for us! We may die if the **LORD** God speaks with His true voice again!"

Moses felt strength in his tongue and stood up immediately.

"Fear not!" he said. "The **LORD** God is come to test you, that you may fear the **LORD** and sin not!"

Suddenly, the voice spoke again. This time, however, it was only to Moses.

"Come up unto the **LORD**," He said. "Thou and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel and worship from afar off. Thou alone shall come near the **LORD**, but the others shall not come near, nor shall the people go up with you."

Moses nodded, then turned to his brother.

"Get the elders together," he said, with strength in his voice. "And bring your two eldest sons and writing paper and ink, and Joshua as well."

"Where are we going, brother?" Aaron queried.

"Up the mountain."

* * *

><p>High above the congregation of Israel they went, climbing the huge mountain-side. It was covered in smoke, and as they walked, the seventy-five of them, the wind blew heavily upon them as they ascended the steep mountain. Furthermore, it seemed like a great height, with the girth of the mountain looming over them as if to crush them. Looking up, they saw the whole summit of the mountain in flames, with flashes of lightning and roaring thunder booming all about them. Yet climb this mountain they must, as far as they could, for they had been ordered.<p>

And, as they had seen before in the last three months while following the Pillar of Cloud, wherever the **LORD** commanded them to go, He also enabled them to make the journey.

About half-way up, they came to a platform of rock cut into the side of the mountain. On the one hand, the path continued to lead higher upward, into the very heart of the blazing inferno roaring above their heads. Near at hand there was a shallow cave that led into the mountain-side, offering some protection against the heavy wind that smote the side of the mountain.

Moses held out his hand, calling for a stop. He looked up at the blazing fire that encircled Mount Sinai like a celestial crown of everlasting fire. Immediately he knelt down and found a large, flat piece of stone.

"P-P-P-Paper!" he called out. "Aaron, where is my paper?"

"This is all I could find!" his brother returned, handing to Moses one of the large, skin-bound books that Moses had been working on. This one detailed the events that led to the freedom of the people from Egypt.

"That's enough!" Moses said, taking the book out of Aaron's hand. His own hands trembling, he flipped through the heavy, papyrus pages, trying to keep them from being torn out by the strong wind while he looked for a blank page. Having found one, he held both of his hands on it.

"The ink!" he called back. Fortunately, Aaron hadn't forgotten this and handed his brother the ink. With his hands moving faster than any of them had ever seen, Moses began to write upon the page in the swift, flowing Hieratic script of Egypt. Within a few minutes, the whole of the first page had been filled with instructions about making sacrifices and building altars.

Without even taking a break, Moses turned the page and started writing again, this time filling the page with various details on how bond-servants were to be treated, including that they were to be freed after seven years of servitude. Almost after every line, there was a refrain admonishing the reader to keep in mind that they had been slaves in Egypt and therefore to treat justly with their servants.

Aaron, Joshua and the elders watched in stunned silence as Moses continuing drawing out the most detailed set of rules that they had ever seen. It was all there: restrictions against various vices such as incest, sodomy, sorcery, ritual scarring, bestiality and much more. Various regulations for theft were set in place, as well as admonitions of hospitality.

Another list followed, featuring building instructions and blueprints about artifacts of worship and some kind of tent. The supply list featured called for much _shittim_ wood and much more gold. Though it was in short supply, they had come out of Egypt with much gold, and that would not be too difficult. The hard part would be finding someone skilful in the crafts needed to complete this colossal undertaking.

Lastly, another list of instructions were given. Moses paused as he wrote, his hands shaking even more violently than before as he continued writing. Aaron looked at the words being written, and his face blanched as well. Right here was being written, as plain as the fire upon the mountain's crown above their heads, a declaration of war against the inhabitants of Canaan.

"Wipe them out?" Aaron asked incredulously. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

"I'm not the one writing this!" Moses shouted back.

"Are you mad?" the brother returned. "Your hands, look!"

"It is the **LORD** that has commanded me to write!" Moses shouted, returning to the page.

At last he had finished, with a statement that the gods of the inhabitants of Canaan would lead the people astray and cause them to sin against the **LORD**. Six hundred and thirteen ordinances had been written down in less than four hours. They now sat in Moses' book, the ink drying upon the page in the blowing wind.

"Aaron," he spoke, standing up with the book in his hand. "Take this book back t-t-t-t-to the people. D-D-Declare all that has been written therein in their hearing. Then build an altar, w-w-with twelve pillars of stone around it. Offer peace offerings of oxen up-p-p-pon the altar, and sprinkle the blood upon the people, that a c-c-c-covenant may be established between God and Israel."

"Yes, brother." Aaron nodded. He then reached out and took the book in both hands and prepared to leave. But Moses placed his hand upon Aaron's shoulder.

"Find Hur," he stated. "You two are to judge the people, and see to their matters in my absence, and the absence of the elders."

"I understand!" Aaron shouted over the rush of the wind. Moses then turned to the elders.

"Stay here, until I return."

"Yes, Moses." Nashon said.

"Yes, Moses." Caleb, who stood in for Korah who said that he was made ill by the rumbling of the earth, said.

"What about me?" Joshua asked, from the inside of the cave where the rest of the elders were gathered.

"Come with me." Moses said, waving him over.

Together, the old Moses and the young man Joshua walked towards the path that led up the rest of the way into the mountain. The wind became stronger the higher they went, lapping at their bodies like waves against the ocean-shore. Joshua's hair became unbound, the black locks flying in the wind like black reeds. Moses' veil fell from off his face and the bright light shone out as before.

They were now close enough that they could behold the presence of fire that sat upon the top of the mountain. All around them was a great fire, and the rocks were blackened with the intense heat of the presence of the **LORD**. At the very pinnacle, where the fiery presence of the **LORD** set foot, the stones at the very top of mighty face of Mount Sinai were melted and burned so much that they looked like pavement made of sapphire.

"Come, Moses." the voice of the **LORD** said unto His servant. "We have much to discuss."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: So he goes up and there's the first part of the Law, which we have in Exodus, and I have Moses write it down to give to Aaron and the people later, while he, Moses, is still communing with the LORD and receiving the <em>whole<em> of the _Torah_.)**

**(As for using JEHOVAH after the giving of the _Ten_, it was a monumental moment and therefore deserved it. It's like swearing, especially with the f-word, you use it at the utmost extreme to give the words their power, not like Ozzy where you use it for every other **** word in a sentence! Speaking of cursing, the 'power' of curse words comes from the fact that they are four-letter words, like the name YHVH, therefore, at least archaically speaking, one was seen to be evoking the power of the curse of God upon another when using four-letter words like that. [along that same line, the name 'Satan' is an obvious name of adversity against God, since it is a five-letter word, like on the goat-faced pentagram, indicating that Satan sees himself as being God+. Therein, in my belief, that was what caused Satan's downfall, trying to be God and _then_ some.])**

**(And if you think that little statement about killing off the people of Canaan is a harsh punishment just because their gods will 'corrupt' the people of Israel, just wait till next chapter and you'll see how easily the people of Israel can corrupt themselves without the help of pagan gods.)**


	21. Golden Calf

**(AN: Here is the next chapter!)**

**(So far, the depiction of Sinai has been 'to the book', even so far as by having the elders hiding in Elijah's cave there-at [since it was at Sinai/Horeb] while Moses [and in my story Joshua] go up to meet with the LORD. The part about the 'pavement of sapphire' is for real, and therefore, since the color blue also represents the Law in the art of the Tabernacle, I have made the tablets of stone blue as well. My reasoning being that the rocks were burned by God's presence, but where He set His foot, it became like sapphire pavement, therefore His finger upon the tablets would turn them blue. Just thought I'd clear that up before we go further on.)**

**(I won't go into great detail over the _Torah_, though it will be cited in various places and the building of the Tabernacle will definitely be in this story. If you seek the full story, read_ Exodus_, _Leviticus_ and _Numbers._ Like with_ Joshua_, I refer you to the original text for further reference.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Golden Calf<strong>

A few hours past midday and Aaron came down alone from the mountain. With him was the book, which he read to all the people. Just as before, they repeated the same refrain:

"_All that the _**LORD**_ has said, we will do_."

Convinced of their sincerity - for who would say something they don't mean - Aaron proceeded with the building of the large altar, made of raw, un-hewn stone as per the instructions of the **LORD** written down in Moses' book. The twelve pillars were erected around it, and the oxen were slain upon it. Aaron read forth the covenant that the **LORD** had given to Moses and the people swore to obey it, saying what they had said before-hand. The blood was sprinkled upon the people and upon the pillars, to signify that all were covered by this covenant. Once this was done, Aaron found Hur and told the people that they were to come to them if they had any matters.

Thirty-nine days had passed since Moses and the elders departed into the mountain of Sinai, into the cloud of fire that rested atop its horned peak. For thirty-nine days the mana rained from Heaven, and there was always water issuing from the large rock at the foot of the mountain (coming forth now at word of mouth). And for thirty-nine days, malcontent had been brewing among the people of Israel.

At last, a great company of men gathered out front of Aaron's tent, where both he and Hur were gathered for the judgment of the people. From the restless look in their faces, Aaron knew to tread cautiously with the people and not do anything that might provoke them.

"Aaron," the spokesman said. "We have gathered together to make a petition before you and Hur."

"Speak," Aaron returned. "If it is the **LORD**'s will, it shall be done."

"We want you to make a god for us," the spokesman said. "One who will go up before us and lead us."

"Were you not present at the announcement of the covenant?" Hur asked. "Did you not hear that the **LORD** told us 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me' and 'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image'?" He scoffed. "Were you not there when He spoke to us directly from the Mountain?"

"We were there," the spokesman said. "And we heard the roar of thunder and the clash of lightning and a cloud upon the mountain: and nothing more."

"The **LORD** is with us!" Hur added. "By His hand alone we were brought out of Egypt, and it is He alone who guides us!"

"It is Moses that guides us," the spokesman said. "Not this phantom God of his, this travesty he told us to lure us away from the flesh-pots of Egypt. Where is our leader now, Hur?"

"He went into the mountain to speak with the **LORD!**" Hur insisted.

"And he has not returned." the spokesman added. "We're done waiting. It's been over a month."

"Go back to your homes." Hur said.

"Do you think these," the spokesman indicated to those around him. "Are the only ones desirous of this petition? Come!" The spokesman and his lackeys walked out of the tent, and Aaron and Hur followed after them. All around the tent the people were gathered, all six hundred thousand or more of them, spread out across the plains of Sinai.

"Good people of Israel," the spokesman announced. "Who has brought us out of Egypt?"

"Moses!" the people cried out with one voice.

"Shall we not build a new god to lead us?" Abiram, one of the lackeys, asked.

Cries of 'Yes!' rang even louder than before. Aaron hung his head in sadness. Hur, on the other hand, found a large rock and stood upon it, so that the people could see him and hear him speak.

"Brothers, people of Israel!" he called out over the din. "Do not do this rash wickedness. Is it not the **LORD** God that has brought us to this point, rather than Moses? Who called the mana to rain down from Heaven?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Abiram said. "The mana came from the dew, not from Heaven!" His statement was greeted with cries of affirmation and agreement from those around them.

"And what of the water?" Hur continued. "Who called forth water from the desert to feed our flocks and herds?"

"Springs may shoot up from anywhere," Dathan, Abiram's brother and cohort in this rebellion, added. "If anything, it was Miriam's skill as a well-hunter."

"You're wasting our time!" the spokesman shouted.

"Did not the Red Sea part at the command of God and not Moses?" Hur added.

"That was no Red Sea!" On, a third cohort, added. "That was a reed sea, a shallow bed of marshes."

"Get down from there, fool!"

"Moses is our leader, and he's dead!"

"We want our own gods!"

"It's only been three months!" Hur shouted. "Can we not have faith in the **LORD**, since we have already seen evidence of all of His marvelous deeds?"

"Faith in an invisible God, who gives us nothing but a list of demands and performs ordinary miracles?" one from the crowd mocked. "Might as well say that up is down!"

The people laughed, while others stood in agreement with that statement. Some others, namely the cohorts of the rebellion, were looking at Hur with contempt, and making slashing motions across their throats at him.

"As your co-leader," Hur said. "Appointed by Moses to act in his stead, I will not submit to this plea to create foreign gods to supplant the Almighty God of Israel!"

The spokesman looked at two of his cohorts, then back at Hur and made a slashing motion across his neck.

"I implore you, good people of Israel!" Hur continued. "Do not be fooled by the lies of the unfaithful!" Strong hands seized him from behind and were dragging him down from the rock. "God has led us this far, and He will bring Moses back to us and lead us all to the Promised Land!"

"Stone him!" the spokesman shouted spitefully. "He's a liar! A charlatan just like his dead prophet!"

People began picking up rocks and hurling them at Hur. He began taking many hits, though his body, hardened with years of slave labor, made the old man stronger and he only groaned aloud as they struck his back and his arms.

"Take that, you old fool!" one of the people shouted as they heaved a rock at Hur.

"Where is your God now?" another mocked.

"Let Him save you!"

A large rock struck Hur on the side of the head, just strong enough to shatter his skull, and he fell to the ground, slowly being buried by the many stony missiles being hurled by the hateful people of Israel.

Aaron only looked on in fear as he saw his co-leader stoned to death, stunned into inaction. He did not speak or say anything in his defense, or in rebuke of the peoples' desires to build this 'god' of theirs. He just watched. After all, he was just the diplomat.

"Aaron," the spokesman said to him, his voice becoming sweet like poisoned honey. "You have not spoken since we gave our petition." The people and the lackeys started to gather around him, getting uncomfortably close, even by the standards of the East. "What do you have to say? Will you build our god for us, or join him?" He pointed to Hur's bloodied and broken body, covered with rocks just a little bit away.

Aaron swallowed hard. He was not cut out for this. He was just the diplomat. He talked and talked, but that was all he knew how to do. He had never had the burden of responsibility that his sister and brother had. He just spoke.

"Well?" they asked, getting closer.

Silence filled the air as the people gazed upon Aaron, hungry to either kill him or have their way. Aaron knew what would happen, and he dared not disobey. Exactly who he would be disobeying, however, was a different story.

"Break off all your gold earrings," he said. "And bring me all the gold that we have."

A cheer arose from the people as they immediately dispersed, to do as they had been instructed. From behind, a very stern and severe looking Miriam approached her brother.

"Gutless swine." she muttered.

"They were going to kill me!" Aaron cried, turning to her. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Show some backbone!" she shouted. "You're a son of Amram, for the sake of God, at least act like it!"

Aaron said nothing, but Miriam simply breathed and calmed herself down.

"I am going to take your two youngest sons, Elishebah and the rest of those who have faith in the **LORD**, and we are not going to be part of this! I will not have you stain the tribe of Levi with your spineless deviation!"

"But what if they kill you?" Aaron asked.

"Kill the whole tribe of Levi?" she laughed. "Hur has died, do you think we won't be ready if those rebels come crawling to our tents to make us worship their false god?" She walked off, very angry. Aaron, however, looked up to the fiery summit of Mount Sinai.

"Forgive me, brother." he whispered.

* * *

><p>A gust of fire flew down from the inferno above. It struck the rocks barely a few cubits away from where Moses and Joshua lay, crouched like little rodents against the fury of a storm. Daring to look up, Moses saw what looked like a hand made of fire floating above the stones, sending sparks and flames down onto the stones about where it touched.<p>

As soon as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving sulfur smells and burned rock in its wake. Looking up, Moses saw that there was another thing left from the fire as well. Two stone tablets, a cubit long and half-a-cubit wide, burned to a deep shade of sapphire blue, stood where the fiery hand had touched the ground. Scribbled upon them were lines that burned with white fire. The script was flowing and beautiful, like the Hieratic of Egypt yet wholly different.

Steam and smoke billowed from the tablets as the wind cooled them with its fierce torrents. His gray-white beard flying in the wind the more he stood up, Moses crawled over to the blackened rocks and put his hand upon one of the tablets. They were still warm, though they did not burn his hands.

"Written with the finger of God..." Moses muttered, his hands closing around the warm stone, feeling the still hot white lines of script upon them. He rose to a kneeling position, keeping his eyes away from the top of the mountain, and then picked up the other tablet, placing it on top of the other.

Looking at the face of the one that looked up, he saw the Ten Commandments that, over a month ago, the **LORD** had proclaimed to all of Israel. Carefully sliding them apart, he saw that they had been repeated on the other tablet. The covenant that they were to make with the **LORD** was so great that His Commandments were duplicated.

Suddenly, just as Moses was at the line 'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image...', he heard a voice from the midst of the inferno above his head.

"Go! Get thee down, for thy people which thou has brought unto Me from Egypt have corrupted themselves! They have quickly turned aside from the way I have commanded for them, and have made a golden calf, worshiping and sacrificing before it, saying 'This is your God, O Israel, who has brought you out of Egypt.'

"Now leave Me be, that I may strike them down with My great wrath and consume these stiff-necked rebels, and make of you, Moses, a great and worthy nation!"

It was the greatest offer one could ever have been given: to see the rebellious, complaining people of Israel removed and have the promise of Abraham fulfilled through him. Moses could never understand, to his dying day, why he spoke these next few words.

"No, my **LORD!**" Moses shouted, his voice sounding small in comparison to the roar of the wind. "Why does Your anger w-w-wax hot against Thy people, which Thy almighty hand has b-b-brought forth out of Egypt? Please, do not do this thing, be it far from you! Egypt will say that You t-t-t-took Your people out into the wilderness to die! Please! Turn from Thy fierce wrath, O **LORD!**"

He buried his face upon the stones, not even daring to look up at the **LORD** as he begged with Him for the undeserving lives of the people of Israel.

"Please!" he sobbed. "Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Thy servants, to whom You p-p-p-p-p-promised by Yourself that You would make their descend-d-d-dants like the stars of the Heavens...t-to give them the land as their inheritance!"

He dared to look up at the great inferno above.

"Blot my name out of Your book," he said. "But please f-f-forgive Thy children!"

There was silence as the fire raged above his head, and Moses continued to weep.

"The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth," the **LORD** said. "As I told thee, Moses, My angel will go before thee, leading the people to the Promised Land. Nevertheless, on the day that I visit, I shall visit this sin upon thy people. They will not be destroyed, but neither will they be allowed to go unpunished."

Moses nodded, then turned his back and made down from the mountain. Hearing footsteps, Joshua lifted his head up and saw Moses making his way down the side of the hill. Quickly he went after him, trying not to look too long at the blinding light shining from Moses' face. Taking a look at Moses' back, he saw the tablets of stone cradled in his arms, with some writing in a white script upon the reverse.

* * *

><p>They were now half-way down the mountain, arriving at the little cave where they left the elders. Fortunately, for them, they had packed food and water. For them, this perilous camping in the cave of Sinai was more comfortable since they had food and water to eat, and a place to shelter them from the wind. For Moses and Joshua, though, they endured the slopes before the mountain's summit without food or water or any protection other than their robes.<p>

They cried out when they saw the face of Moses, shining like the sun, with rays of light coming from his eyes like two great horns. It was indeed a fearful sight and they threw themselves on their knees before him.

"Why do you kneel?" Moses asked.

"We cannot bear to look at your face, Moses," Nashon said. "For the light of God shines from your very countenance."

"Please," Moses shook his head. "Kneel not before me."

One by one they rose, not daring to look Moses in the face and marveling at the tablets of blue stone cradled in Moses' hand. Joshua, on the other hand, made his way close to the edge of the cliff-side. Through the din of the rushing wind, he could hear some faint rumor from far below.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, turning back to the elders. "Methinks I hear voices crying out from below." Moses quickly walked over to Joshua's side, and perked his ears up, trying to pierce the loudness of the wind to hear what Joshua was talking about. With neither his natural force abated nor his eyes dim by reason of his age, Moses could easily see and hear as though he were still full of youth and vigor.

Just beyond the sound of the wind, there rose up another sound, faint and distant, coming from the very bottom of the mountain. Indistinct voices were crying out in dissonance against each other, sounding like whispers this high above them.

"There is a noise of war in the camp!" Joshua said, turning to Moses.

"No," Moses shook his head. "It is the noise of song."

* * *

><p>The trek down the mountain was not any easier than the climb up its rocky face. They were now outside of the clouds, but what they saw below them in the plain was shocking. The people of Israel were gathered around a high altar made of large boulders, upon which they were burning sacrifices. Facing this altar was the image of a golden calf, like the pictures of Hathor from the walls of Egypt. All around this sacrilegious symbol of idolatry the people of Israel worshiped and partied with much noise and reckless abandon. Clothes went flying and men and women danced naked before the golden calf.<p>

Moses' shining white face was livid with anger.

"How quickly they forget the **LORD** their God!" he seethed. The report of the **LORD** was more than true. Moses ran down the mountain, the two tablets of stone in each hand as he went. Seeing that Moses was angry and that something was going to happen, Joshua thought quickly and took out the Horn of Nun. The people would know that divine vengeance was upon them.

With the blast of the horn, all the people suddenly became silent. They looked up to the side of the mountain as they saw Moses walking towards them as swift as the wind. He came to a rock that leaned out closest to the camp, within sight of the golden calf.

"**BLASPHEMERS!**" Moses shouted to the people in his rage. "**IDOLATORS!** _This_ is what the **LORD** thinks of your god of gold!"

With a great cry, he heaved the tablets of stone up above his head and threw them down in the direction of the golden calf. In a cry of shock and fear, the people parted as the blue tablets fell only a few cubits shy of the golden calf, shattering into pieces with the force the of the blow.

None of the people moved as Moses ran down the next few steps of the mountain. For the past three months, they had known Moses as a quiet, in-eloquent yet compliant leader. Now they were faced with his wrath and indignation for their grievous sin. His hands were shaking as he grabbed a mattock and ran towards the golden calf.

"Vain, stiff-necked, ungrateful people!" he said, standing before the calf. With his full strength, he swung the mattock back and struck the head of the golden calf from off its body. With righteous indignation, he began attacking the golden body with the tool, breaking it to many pieces.

"The **LORD** brought you out of Egypt," he continued. "And for the last four months, you have **_begged_** to go back to your masters in Egypt! He gave you food when you were hungry, water when you were thirsty, delivered you from the hand of the Amalekites, and _this_ is how you repay Him? Selling yourselves like whores on the street to this blind, deaf, helpless idol!" He struck the smitten-off head of the calf with the mattock, shattering the craftsmanship.

"Even now, after He spoke to you with His own voice, gave you His commandments, and you _swore_ to obey all that He had spoken, you deliberately disobey the **LORD** God of Israel!" He was now smashing the smaller bits with the head of the mattock, while the people looked on in shock. While he continued, Aaron stepped forward to see why the music and revelry had suddenly ended.

"Moses?" he asked incredulously. "What have you done?"

"No, Aaron," he shot back, pointing with his hand in Aaron's direction. "What have _you_ done? Where is Hur? Why have you caused the people to sin?"

"It-It wasn't my fault, brother!" Aaron whined. Moses turned back to destroying the calf of gold. "You know how the people are, always dead-set on mischief. They told me to make them a god to go before them, and I said to bring their gold and jewelry before me. Then I threw it into the fire, and out rose this golden calf!"

"How dare you blame the **LORD** for this idolatry!" Moses shot back, stepping up to within an inch of his brother's face. Aaron balked, unable to stand looking at the shining face of fury for any great length of time.

The golden calf was now in small pieces. These Moses collected up and threw into a large bucket. This he took over to the still heated furnaces which Aaron had ordered built for the construction of the calf, and dumped the pieces into the furnace. As if he were not going fast enough, he began to make the furnace go hotter, until all the gold had melted. With iron tongs, he grabbed the crucible that contained the melted gold and set at once back to the side of the mountain. Here he stopped at the rock which brought forth water for the people. Already a small pool there was gathered below it, for the people and their animals to drink from. Moses overturned the crucible and poured the molten gold into the water.

"There," he said. "If you wish to drink, you can drink the consequences of your sins."

"Moses, please." Aaron said, running over to his brother's side. "Don't be rash! Yes, we have sinned. But do not inflict this harsh punishment upon our people for the sake of a few..."

"Harsh?" Moses returned, laughing at his brother's statement. There was no jesting in his voice. "If the **LORD** threatened you with what He had originally ordained, you would be begging to suffer under this punishment!"

"But, Moses..."

But Aaron's brother was fed up with his excuses. He turned instead to those around them.

"Whoever is on the **LORD**'s side," he announced. "Come with me."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: The other tablets won't be blue, since they were not written by God's hand.)<strong>

**(I created Moses' little rant, since he's very angry and wanted to get that across to the listeners.)**

**(Hur getting murdered like that is not mentioned in the Old Testament, but it should be noted that he was assigned to be co-regent with Aaron, yet not only did he nothing to stop the building of the Golden Calf, he's not mentioned ever again in the _Exodus_ narrative. So I guess we can follow the Talmudic/Midrash tradition and say that the rebellious people of Israel killed him to silence his protests, and to goad Aaron into acting in their favor.)  
><strong>

**(The 'script' that the Commandments are in is Hebrew. I don't know if this is for real, but I think that, after four hundred years, the Israelites assimilated the Egyptian Hieratic script, and so I have it that God creates their own, Hebrew script for them as a 'start' for their new nation.)**

**(Do I need to elaborate more? My prose isn't too 'purple', is it? Should I spend some time working on the 'little' characters like Salmon and Mered? Remember, your questions are welcomed and I'll try to answer them...if I can remember them all. [lol])**


	22. GOD

**(AN: Thank you for being patient as I attempted to complete these stories of mine. I've now gone outside of the 'safety-net' of _The Ten Commandments_ and most other adaptions of the Exodus narrative, and am traversing into territory never gone before by any save for Moses himself. Seriously, who else has ever made a full-length adaption of the _Exodus_? Very few)**

**(I've skimmed several passages, but that was because they had to do with the creation of the Tabernacle [saved for next chapter]. They will be revealed in time, rather than told at first and then repeated when they are built. Regarding how I depicted the actual Commandments, it is based on both the Talmudic tradition that each tablet had the full covenant on both sides and, as _Exodus _itself said, on both sides as well - front and back. The whole of it is to be kept, not just 'the last six', therefore I have it in full on both tablets and on both sides of each tablet.)**

**(Regarding this portion of _Exodus_, what I can say is that Moses was up on Mt. Sinai for forty days and forty nights, but not continuously as stated in _The Ten Commandments_. The total length of time was forty days and forty nights, though how it is portrayed in _Exodus_ leads me to believe that He would come down and deliver a message to the people, then go up and commune with God some more. Obviously he had been away for quite some time when the golden calf incident happened)**

* * *

><p><strong>GOD<strong>

It was a bloody morning that rose upon the slopes of Mount Sinai. Three thousand idolators, oath-breakers and traitors now lay dead upon the earth. A few leaves in a forest of a million or more, but not so few that the people thought of repeating the offense any time soon. Many of the stones were still pained red with blood, though the Levites - those who were on the **LORD**'s side - had since buried the dead.

Moses stood apart from them, gazing up at Mount Sinai above them. The weight of what had just happened hung heavily upon his shoulders. The **LORD** had promised from the beginning to be with him, and that if the people obeyed His commands, they would be spared the plagues of Egypt. But they begged for punishment as surely as they had begged for a god of gold to go before them.

"Moses?" Caleb asked. He had just come from burying his friend Hur, his face lined with tears.

"I'm g-g-going back," Moses said. He then turned to all in the camp and all those around him. "You've all sinned a great sin! Now I wil go b-before the **LORD**, perhaps He will have m-mercy on you!"

"I'll go with you." Caleb offered.

"No," Moses returned. "I will go alone."

* * *

><p>Back upon the edges of Sinai, Moses stood with his face uncovered before the <strong>LORD<strong>. Though he knew that the **LORD** could see him whether veiled or not, he wanted to show that the severity of the situation called for him to speak with his face fully uncovered.

"**LORD!**" he called. "T-These people, they've sinned greatly! You were right, they-they-they made a golden calf and c-claimed it was You! Please, O Merciful God, if You are still willing, forgive Thy people! If not..." He was doing it again. He placed his hand over his heart. "If not, O **LORD**, then blot me out of Your book!"

The wind howling about him was all the answer that came for a while. Then, the fire above his head began to roar and the voice spoke aloud again.

"Depart from Me," He said. "Return to the people, which you have brought forth out of Egypt, and go forth from here, to the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that I would give unto thee: a land flowing with milk and honey. And I will send an angel beforee thee, and he shall drive forth the inhabitants from before you. But surely, if I were to come down before the people again, I would consume them: therefore I will not go up with you.

"Tell the people that they are stiff-necked. Command them to remove all their jewelry and ornaments immediately once you have gotten down, or else I will come up in your midst and consume you."

"**LORD!**" Moses cried out. "By Your hand alone t-the Egyptians were def-f-feated at the Red Sea! You have given us f-food from Heaven to eat, and w-water to come forth from the rock at our word! Please, if Y-You will not go up with us, then do not send us away! How will I know the way unless You show me?"

"My presence will go with you," came His answer. "And I shall give you rest."

"How w-will it be known that the children of Israel have found grace in Your sight unless You are with us?"

Once more silence filled the thin, cold air atop Sinai.

"Very well," the **LORD** answered at length. "Because I know you by name, and because you have found grace in My sight, I will go with the people when you leave this place."

"**LORD**," he said. "I-I am nothing, shadows and d-dust, but I dare ask this much of You: if I have found grace in Your eyes, p-p-please, show me Your glory! I b-b-b...I beg You! Let this stand as proof that You shall be with us."

There was a moment of hesitation, as the Infinite Being registered this very bold request from His servant.

"No man may see My face and live." the **LORD** said. "But, there is nothing impossible with Me. I will let all of My goodness pass before you, and proclaim My name in your ears, and show mercy to those that I shall show mercy."

Moses nodded.

"Behold," He said. "There is a cleft in the rocks of the mountain near at hand. Tomorrow, you shall stand therein and I shall pass before you, covering your face with My hand, and then show only My back to you, that you may live. Now, hew two tablets of stone like those that I made for the people and prepare. Let no man come up with you, and have the people step back from around the base of the mountain."

"Yes, **LORD!**" Moses said.

He made haste immediately down the mountain-side, covering his face up, and walked back into the camp. He told them to move away from the mountain's base, even so much that they could not be heard from the foot of the mountain. Once he told them, however, what the LORD said about not going with them, they all fell down upon the earth and wept, throwing their jewelry off eagerly. Moses, however, had one last task to perform.

"Joshua," he said to the young man of Ephraim.

"Yes, Moses?" he inquired.

"You were a stone-c-c-cutter, right?"

"Before I was free, yes." came the answer.

"Do you s-s-s-s-still have the tools of your art?" Moses inquired.

"Always, Moses. I had a feeling that they might be needed some time soon."

"The time is now." Moses said. "B-Bring them to me."

Joshua quickly left and ran back to his tent, making a quick search before returning, the cutting tools wrapped in leather.

"Here they are." he said. "They should be in good condition, only haven't been used in three months. Well, four if you count as long as we've been waiting here, while you commune with..."

Moses held up his hand, took the tools from Joshua, then walked back toward the side of the mountain. The sound of hammering could be heard. A few minutes later, Moses was looking down at two rough-edged tablets of stone, blank and waiting for what would happen in the morning. They did not have the glorious luster or shine of the old blue tablets.

* * *

><p>He was now back among the cloud that rested on the stony head of Sinai. Cradled in his hands were the tablets of stone that he had cut out according to the command of the <strong>LORD<strong>. As he approached where he had last been, he saw the side of the mountain had a great crevice that split it in two. This must have been the cleft that the **LORD** spoke of. Carefully, he made his way into the crack, the two tablets now pressed up against his chest.

There was a sudden flash of fire, and Moses could see nothing through it. The heat was intense, and he held his own hands over his face to keep the great heat from out of his face.

The heat suddenly passed. Moses looked up and saw before him a Being of pure light. It was brighter than the sun, yet Moses' eyes were not blinded by its brightness. Ten rings of fire spun around this Being, like the rims of wheels within many wheels revolving around a center of Light. As Moses gazed upon that Light, he thought he saw a figure of pure light inside, clothed in white, with long white hair flowing down the back. He could see no face.

"**_Behold_** **YAHWEH!**" the Creator spoke. "The **LORD** God: merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. And by no means clear the guilty; but rather visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation."

Moses threw himself down before the **LORD**. Already he felt as a tiny grasshopper before a giant, who was not only greater in all things, but also was his creator. Even as He spoke and Moses knelt in His presence, he felt filled beyond belief: it was as if every single desire of the whole heart of man was now being fulfilled, and overly, so that he felt of a certainty that he would explode if he stood in His presence for much longer.

"O **LORD!**" Moses cried out, his voice sounding small in comparison to the great voice of the **LORD**: yet there was strength in his voice. Being in the presence of his Creator seemed to give new strength to his tongue. "If I have found favor in Your eyes, please! Go forth with us when we leave to take the land that You have promised. Pardon Your stiff-necked children of our iniquities and take us for Your inheritance."

Silence followed for a few moments, and then the **LORD** spoke.

"Behold," the **LORD** announced. "I make a covenant. Before all thy people I will do great wonders, such as have never been done before in all the earth or all the nations thereof, and all the nations shall see the great and terrible marvels that I will do. Make sure that you observe all that I have commanded of you.

"I shall drive out the inhabitants of the land of Canaan from before you. Take heed and make no covenant with them, or else they will ensnare you and your sons and daughters, to go whoring after strange gods. Nay, but thou shalt destroy all their altars, and the images and their groves of worship; nor shalt thou make molten images for thyself.

"Thou shalt keep the feast of the Unleavened Bread, the Passover: for seven days in the month of Abib, the people shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded thee, for in the month of Abib I brought thee out of Egypt. Six days thou shalt work, but on the Seventh Day, thou shalt rest: whether in summer or autumn. As sure as I saved thy firstborn on the night of the Passover, so shall all the firstborn of thy animals be mine - save for the firstborn of the ass and the firstborn of thy children, which shall be redeemed with a lamb. And all the feast-days that I ordained shall be maintained."

Moses nodded in recognition of the word of the **LORD**.

"Now, Moses." thus spake the **LORD**. "Write down the words that I have told thee: for after their concept I have made a covenant between Myself and Israel."

"Yes!" Moses cried out over the roar of the wind. He took out the chisel from Joshua's tool-kit and with the hammer in his other hand, began to carve the words upon the stone tablets. It was long and arduous, and once one tablet was finished, he had to place the same upon the other tablet, and upon the reverse of each, as it had been with the first set.

"Moses" the **LORD** spoke.

"Yes?" he called back.

"Tell the people to bring gifts before you, as many as give them freely with an open heart: such gifts as I shall tell thee. And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them."

"As You command!" he returned.

* * *

><p>At last the people saw Moses return. But now they did not wish to see it, for he had forgotten his veil during the entire 'chat' with the <strong>LORD<strong>. If his face shone before, it was nothing like how it shone now. Everyone covered their faces from him and some even trembled as he walked among them.

"Moses!" Aaron cried out from where he was kneeling.

"Aaron, p-please!" he said. "Do not bow to me!"

"Brother, your face!" he marveled. "Your face shines brighter than the sun! Where is your veil?"

Moses held his hand up and felt his own bearded face. The veil was missing. He must have dropped it while speaking with the **LORD** had completely forgot that it had been there. Miriam immediately rose up, removed her own covering from off her snow-white hair and gave it to Moses. Since both of his hands were full - each of the stone tablets resting in one hand - she bound it about the lower part of his face. At least some of the light was being shrouded.

"Aaron," Moses said. "Get up, and follow me."

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"The c-c-camp of Judah."

"Why?"

"We have work to do."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Here you go! Another chapter of this epic! Now the story is going out on its own, free from all influence save the source material and myself)<strong>

**(My depiction of God draws from several sources, with the ten rings of fire being the _Sephirot_ [or the _Ophanim_. It works either way]. I thought it meet that, since Moses is seeing God, He should speak His rightful name rather than saying 'The LORD, the LORD God.' No disrespect to YHVH. Oh, and please, for the life of me, ignore all references to God as 'He'. That's just my short-comings and the whole "traditional" view of God as a male figure, but, personally, the Creator transcends all definitions and types.)**

**(Future references will be to 'LORD' or, at the very most, JEHOVAH.)**

**(Thank you, once again, for helping me with the grammatical errors I may have made. Though the part about 'in their own language in their ears' was intentional. It signifies the **Ruach HaKodesh**, or as It is more commonly known, the "Holy Spirit." Internet lagging, goodnight.)**

**(9.20.11 - Horay for faster internet...but boo for poor battery and even poorer connection. :( Thank you once again, _hylomorpher_, for reviewing.)  
><strong>


	23. That I May Dwell Among Them

**(AN: Well, that was a very long waiting process. Read my 'apology' in _Of Saints and Sinners_, I don't feel like repeating it to this audience as well.)**

**(I've tried to stick mostly to the narrative, though I thought that this chapter needed to be told. So here, enjoy!)**

* * *

><p><strong>That I May Dwell Among Them<strong>

It was not hard to find the camp of Judah. It's emblem, the Lion, was proudly displayed upon the banner that flew in the wind billowing down from Mount Sinai. Moses walked on, his staff in his hand, his veil over his face and Aaron following on behind. As soon as he passed into the camp, Mered and Salmon approached.

"Moses!" Salmon greeted. "Please, forgive me, but my father is not here! He's overseeing the complaints of the people of Judah."

"Does the** LORD** have more for us to do?" Mered queried.

Moses gasped, trying to force himself to speak.

"Have we sinned?" Mered continued.

"H-H-Hur!" Moses finally got out. "The tent of Hur!"

"This way!" Salmon said, leading the way through the rows and rows of tents. They came to one that was being taken down by a middle-aged man and his family.

"What is this madness?" Aaron queried.

The man looked up from the work.

"Your pardon, Aaron." he said, nodding his head to them. They both saw that his eyes were red. "My name is Uri. Hur was my father."

"And now that he's dead, you take his tent?"

"We're family. We're only protecting our inheritance from looters."

"Where is y-your son?" Moses inquired.

He pointed to the eldest of the young men at work at the tent.

"Bring him here." Moses answered.

Uri called his son forward. Immediately he ran before Moses and nodded. For a 'young man', he was a few years over twenty and was already starting to grow into his beard.

"My name is Bezaleel, Moses." the young man said.

"What is your trade?" he asked.

"I served the nomarchs of Egypt as a jeweler." he said. "Though I'm not sure what use a jewelsmith has out here in this desert."

"The **LORD** has called you by name, Bezaleel!" Moses said. "C-Come with me."

"Yes, Moses!" Bezaleel smiled. He quickly followed after the two who made their way out of the camp of Judah. Bezaleel was of age, and needed not to ask his father for permission.

Mered and Salmon continued after Moses, Aaron and Bezaleel as they made their way through the camp of Judah.

"By God!" Aaron shouted. "The camp of Judah is huge!"

"Brother!" Moses returned. "T-Thou shalt not take His name in vain!"

"I'm sorry," he returned. "Still, the people of Judah are the largest of the tribes. It will take a while to get through the crowd." He increased his pace to keep up with Moses. "And where, if I may ask, are we going now?"

"Dan."

"It's that way!" he pointed across the lines of tents. "Follow me."

The small group was now making its way through the various camps of the people, with Moses and Aaron at the lead. Already there was news of something going on, and word began to spread. Soon the group was now being followed by many people calling after them for this and that.

The camp of Dan was only a little smaller than the camp of Judah, for the camp of Dan was the second largest of the tribes. But something other than Aaron was directing Moses exactly where he needed to go.

Outside of the tent that he was walking towards, a man, around Bezaleel's age, exited from within the tent.

"What is the meaning of this?" he inquired.

"Are you Aholiab, son of Ahishamach?" Moses asked.

"Yes, I am."

"What is y-your trade?"

"Carpenter by trade," he answered. "But my wife and three daughters are weavers."

"The **LORD** has called you by name," Moses announced.

"I am honored," Aholiab nodded. "But I would like to know what I have been chosen to do."

"Moses!" Aaron said. "Many people of the congregation have gathered behind us."

They turned and saw the great multitude of people gathered before them from all of the tribes. Most were talking among themselves, spreading the 'rumors' of what was going on with this 'task' that Moses and Aaron were undertaking through the camp.

"Perhaps we should say something to them." Aaron whispered.

Moses nodded and then leaned over to his brother's ear and whispered something to him. Aaron nodded in recognition then rose his hands up before the people.

"Hear, O Israel!" he announced. "The **LORD** has commanded that the people bring forth offerings unto Him: only such as are given with a free will and earnest heart!"

"What shall we bring?" one from the crowd asked.

"All the precious metal we still have left," Aaron began. "Gold, silver and brass. Fine linen of blue, purple and scarlet, goats' hair, badger's fur, and ram's skin dyed red. We will also need a great supply of shittim wood, oil, spices and precious stones."

"Where shall we bring them?"

"To the tent where the elders gather!" Aaron announced, leading the people that way. The crowds started to disperse, until Moses, Bezaleel and Aholiab were left standing there. Just then they noticed that Mered and Salmon were still left standing.

"You h-have something else?" he asked.

"Mered does, Moses." the prince stated, taking a step back.

"If it pleases you, and the **LORD**," Mered began. "I would like permission to...to..."

Moses shook his head. He knew what Mered must be going through with whatever he was trying to say.

"Take your time, Mered."

"Well," he said. "I would like permission to marry Bithiah."

"Who is Bithiah?" Moses asked.

"Uh, she was the daughter of Pharaoh." Salmon said. "I witnessed Caleb anoint her and bring her into the Covenant with the name of Bithiah."

"Is there another who can c-c-corobora-t-t-t-t...confirm your story?"

"I can." Mered said. "I was there when it happened. And Caleb can confirm it as well."

"The **LORD** specifically stated," Moses said. "That we m-m-must not enslave ours-selves by marrying those who do not f-f-f...believe as we do."

"But Bithiah is entered into the Covenant!" Salmon said. "Even her name suggests that she has refused the gods of Egypt for the worship of the One True God! Surely she is counted not among the people of Egypt, but one of us."

Moses nodded.

"Even so," he said. "It is t-t-too early for marriage. I say that y-you, Mered son of Ezra, should be b-b-betrothed to Bithiah for at least a year. That way you may b-b-become more familiar with her, though not in t-the way that l-leads to children."

"Of course." Mered answered. "I would honor her above all save for the **LORD** God."

Moses nodded in response to Mered's statement.

"Since she has no parents to act as her guardians," Moses said. "I think that she should stay with Nashon, the lord of your tribe."

"I will speak to my father about this." Salmon nodded, then departed, leaving Mered alone with Moses. The old man put his hand on Mered's shoulder.

"Fear not," he said. "The w-will of the **LORD** shall be done."

* * *

><p>There would be no more shittim wood this side of Sinai for a great while, it seemed.<p>

The next day, after the mana had been gathered, Moses and Aaron visited the construction site. Placed outside of the main camp of Israel, on Moses' instructions, it was currently filled with furnaces and smelting crews on one side and carpenters on the other side.

"Moses!" young Bezaleel greeted, as he rose from where he was directing several carpenters with Aholiab. "The people performed admirably yesterday. We're still getting in gifts by the dozens!"

Moses nodded.

"What is this?" Aaron asked, indicating to the large box that was being assembled by the carpenters.

"It's an ark," Aholiab said.

"The Ark of the **LORD**'s covenant." Moses finished. He then turned to Aaron. "Did you r-r-remember the books, brother?"

"Why, yes!" he said.

"By command of the **LORD**," Moses continued. "Y-You are to serve as high priest of the house of Israel, the mediator between God as His p-people."

Aaron bowed.

"I am honored."

"Stand up!" Moses ordered. Aaron quickly did as he was instructed.

"Ah, the robes!" Bezaleel said, his thoughts going to what they were probably going to ask next. "Aholiab's wife and daughters are fine weavers, and they're working right now on the curtains and the coverings for this little enterprise. It's amazing! All the work that has to be done! Right now, I've got the smithies working over-time, trying to churn out enough gold and silver and brass to fit our needs. Some of the basic carpenters are busy with the poles, while I've brought the most skilled to work on the instruments of worship." He then turned to the ark. "Like this one."

"Well done!" Aaron congratulated.

"It is the **LORD** that guides their hands, b-brother." Moses said.

"Speaking of which," Bezaleel continued. "We're moving along very fast as it is. The weaving is perhaps the most strenuous process, which will stretch this out. I can get more weavers, fine, but I've projected that it would take at least a month, maybe three weeks, to complete this task if we work day in and day out, with minimal to no breaks."

"We cannot work on the Sabbath." Moses reminded him.

"It's just one day." Bezaleel reasoned.

"It is one day," Moses continued. "That the LORD has set apart for us to remember His w-work of creation. The servant is not greater than his **LORD**: therefore, if the **LORD** rested on the Sabbath, then we must rest on the Sabbath as well."

Bezaleel nodded.

"Moses?" the dark-skinned Aholiab inquired.

"Yes?"

"At the very least," he said. "The Ark can be finished today. We've got most of the wood in place, and once we hear from the..." A cry came from the direction of the furnances.

"We're ready!"

"Pardon me, Moses." Belazeel said, turning to the furnaces to direct the people with the gold.

"What do you think?" Aholiab said, indicating to the Ark. Moses walked over to the unassuming wooden box and began making measurements with his arm and hands across the width, heigth and length of the box.

"It's to a tee as the **LORD** detailed it." Moses commented.

"And just in time!" Aholiab smiled. Behind him, Bezaleel was leading several others with large crucibles filled with molten gold.

Moses and Aaron watched as the gold was brought forth and pounded into sheets, before being dipped in water and then fashioned onto the sides of the Ark. Belazeel took a hammer and, like Aaron, began to beat the gold into place along the body of the box. Only this was no golden calf, no symbol of idolatry and wanton rebellion, but a pure vessel.

It was some time before it was all said and done, Aholiab having left to attend to the next carpentry project, and when it had been finished, the Ark now shone brilliantly in the afternoon sun, having been polished once applied onto the wood. Bezaleel finished making the crenulations around the edge of the top of the Ark, so that it looked as though a crown sat upon the top of the box. Inside, the Ark had been inlaid with gold as well.

"Aaron!" Moses said after a long while.

"Yes?"

"M-M..M-m..."

"What is it?"

"The mana!" he said at last. "Bring m-mana."

Aaron chuckled. "It's high past noon-day, there's no mana on the ground!"

"In...y-your tent!"

"Oh, right!" Aaron suddenly realized.

"And...the tablets!"

"Absolutely!" Aaron turned tail and darted off in the direction of the camp.

"What's that for?" Bezaleel asked, looking up from his work.

"You shall see." was all that Moses said.

Ten minutes later two figures came running back from the camp. The one up front was Miriam, the mana-filled jar in her arms. Behind her ran Aaron, with the tablets of stone in his arms: obviously being the more heavy, they slowed him down.

"Here we are!" Aaron gasped.

Moses reached out and first took the tablets of stone from his brother. These he placed within the inner compartment of the Ark, one on top of the other. It mattered not, for the whole covenant as well as the Ten Commandments were in full upon each tablet and upon either side. He then turned to Miriam, and took the jar filled with mana. The **LORD** had kept it preserved for so many months since the Wilderness of Sin. It did not melt, nor did it stink and no maggots were within. This pot he placed within the Ark, next to the tablets of stone.

"F-Fashion the rings." Moses commanded.

Bezaleel then busied himself with putting four golden rings upon the four corners of the Ark, parallel to the length thereof. Almost half an hour later, Aholiab brought forth the two staves, covered in gold, which were then ran through the two rings on either side of the Ark.

"The **LORD** has c-commanded," Moses began. "That the Ark must not be seen by any save for the High Priest." He turned to Aaron. "You, brother."

Aaron nodded in realization.

"Bezaleel," Moses turned back to the craftsman. "How soon can the Mercy Seat be completed?"

"Tomorrow afternoon." was the answer.

"We will need a covering for the Ark." Moses said. "The **L-LORD** has commanded that a blue veil shall cover it when we go forth from this place."

"I'll get thrice as many weavers working on it immediately!" Aholiab stated. "We can have it done tomorrow, so it will cover the Ark once its complete."

"Good, good." Moses nodded.

* * *

><p>The morning had come at last. Once again the mana came, and people gathered a double portion, for today was the day prior to the Sabbath. All work would cease once the sun went down on this day, not to be resumed until the sun went down on the Sabbath. Once the food had been gathered, Moses and Aaron went to the construction site, to overview the continuation of the construction of the tabernacle. Already, it looked more alive than it had before. Large brass-covered poles were being erected in a huge quadrilateral perimeter that marked the outer wall of the court. The white sheets that would adorn the outer wall of the tabernacle were still being created.<p>

In the middle of the court, the workers had cleared away large rocks and shrubbery so that the inside was as clean and neat as can be expected for people traveling in the desert. This inner sanctuary would house the main tent complex of the tabernacle. At the very middle, already placed, was the golden Ark. Moses and Aaron stood before it apace, and Aholiab held the huge blue veil bundled in his hands. Nearby, Bezaleel was overseeing the last few bits of the Mercy Seat.

It was truly a work of art. A single gold plate that would sit atop the Ark as a lid, adorned with two angels on either side. Each angel had six wings: two reached up above and two reached down below, touching each other at the tip and covering the Mercy Seat on either side, while their last two hung down at the back.

"Aaron," Moses said. "Place the Mercy Seat upon the Ark."

Aaron nodded, then took the covering from Bezaleel. Reverently he walked over to the Ark and placed it upon the lid. All had turned their heads away, save for Aaron and Moses. The youngest brother walked over to Aholiab, took the blue veil and, with Aaron, stretched it out to its full length. They then let it fall upon the Ark, covering all save for the two staves that stuck out at either end.

"It is done." Moses said.

When they looked up, all they saw was something shrouded in a blue veil.

"Very well, then," Moses returned. "Let us see to the r-r-rest of the construction."

Aside from the Sabbath, every day saw the construction of the Tabernacle. Soon the white sheets that made the 'fence' appeared, along with the richly-embroidered covering of the inner sanctuary. It was a very beautiful sheet, made of blue, purple and scarlet, with six-winged cherubim embroidered into the sheet in gold thread. This was then covered over by a heavy coat of animal skin, which protected it from the elements. Various artifacts of gold were placed into the sanctuary as the work went on: a golden altar of insence, a golden table and a manorah of pure gold. Though, before any of these were made, the blue-veiled object was cordoned off into a separate part of the sanctuary all to itself by a heavy veil that divided the inner sanctuary into two divisions.

The Holy Place, and the Holiest Place.

* * *

><p>At last, the tabernacle was finished. In the camp of Levi, Moses had finished giving out a detailed list of instructions regarding a new order of leaders for the people of Israel, on par with the Elders: the priesthood. Aaron was appointed High Priest, with his four sons serving as assistants. Aholiab and Bezaleel were much enthralled in their latest work, the robes of the High Priest, which they both worked on personally.<p>

When it was, at last, finished, it too bedazzled all who saw it. The robes were fabulous to say the least, but on top of the sacred robe went even more. Two shoulder-pieces of gold sat upon the shoulders, with two onyx stones placed upon the shoulders. Looking carefully, there were engraved into each one the names of the Children of Israel, according to their tribes. From these two shoulders a breastplate of gold hung down upon the chest, fastened on two sides with a chain. Upon the breastplate were twelve precious stones. A ruby, a topaz and a dark red garnet upon the first row, an emerald, a sapphire and a shimmering diamond upon the second row, a brilliant opal, a beautiful agate and a violet amethyst upon the third row, and lastly a beryl, an onyx and jasper-stone in the fourth row, each one socketed into a gold setting.

The effect was quite dazzling.

As Moses was assisting Aaron in placing the robe upon his brother, and the other pieces as well, the noise of shouts and cries were heard from the people. Hands began pointing out of the camp, in the direction of the Tabernacle. All eyes turned, and they saw exactly what had caused the outcry.

The pillar of cloud had appeared again. Only this time, it came to rest in the Tabernacle, in the farthest part of the inner sanctuary: the Holy of Holies.

Moses smiled. The **LORD** had, once again, come through with His promise.

He now dwelt among them.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Review review review! Your reviews help me gain more incentive to continue my stories, as well as the creations of more stories!)<strong>


	24. How It All Began

**(AN: I give thanks for the reviews I've received so far. It will definitely take a while, but I will attempt to address my grammatical errors, and thank you so far for your help. Yes, there will be a Bithiah/Mered romantic sub-plot. The Bible says they got together [_I Chronicles 4:18_], I'm just expounding upon that. And later on, Salmon will have _his_ love story [virtual sweets to whoever can guess with whom].)**

**(Yes, I am trying to insert a love story into the Exodus. Might not be that appropriate, but so far, the shift of focus for the next several chapters will be away from the elders and towards the generation that survives the [spoilers]. So please, try to stomach through my feeble attempts at romance if they are not that well-written)**

* * *

><p><strong>How It All Began<strong>

Nashon, the elder of the tribe of Judah, sat in his tent, attended by his wife, his daughters and his servants. Dinner was well on the way: a dinner consisting of mana-cakes. While it was being prepared, Salmon, Mered and Bithiah entered the tent as they had been called to do.

"Bithiah," Nashon said to the young girl. "My son tells me that Mered would like your hand in marriage."

"He told me as much before." she returned.

"Sit down." he insisted.

Bithiah, Mered and Salmon did as they were instructed, with Salmon sitting at his father's right hand.

"Marriage is a good thing," Nashon continued. "From what I can recall from my mother and father taught me, marriage was created by the **LORD** for the first man and first woman."

Bithiah nodded.

"Although," Nashon continued. "My son also says that Moses has suggested a year-long engagement for the two of you." He nodded. "This is good, for a good marriage is a happy marriage, and what happy marriage can be among two strangers?"

Bithiah looked a little downcast at the word stranger.

"Take heart, daughter," Nashon said. "You are not a stranger among us. Indeed, you are a daughter of the **LORD**, and therefore your place among us cannot be denied."

Bithiah inclined her head toward the elder of Judah. "May I ask something of you?"

"Please." Nashon said, gesturing with an opening of his arms to show his willingness to answer.

"What does marriage mean to your...to our people?"

Nashon's gaze lifted up for a while, and he stroked his beard thoughtfully, before returning to answer her.

"Many nations," he began. "Marry with other nations, other clans, to keep peace among them. Others marry to improve their station in life, or because it is their 'duty.' We marry because God said it is good."

"Indeed?"

"Aye." Nashon looked around. "In fact, if Master Caleb were here..." Just then, the flap of the tent-door opened, revealing the form of Caleb.

"My apologies for my tardiness, my lord," Caleb said. "I've been finishing up my overseeing of the camp of Judah."

"Uh, Caleb, please, stay a while with us." Nashon implored, indicating with his hand to a seat at their 'table'. More or less a rug placed over the animal skin floor upon which they had their meal: mana-bread once again. Caleb prayed a blessing for the food before indulging in some himself.

"You know the old stories, eh, Caleb?" Nashon asked.

He nodded his reply.

"Perhaps you can enlighten young Bithiah about how and why our people marry."

Caleb turned to the young woman, cleared his throat, and then began to speak. As he did, all others hushed their voices and turned in awe as he revealed the ancient story.

"The **LORD** God formed man out of the dust of the earth," Caleb began. "And gave to him every animal and bird to name and to be his companions, yet the first man had no one equal to him. So the **LORD** caused him to fall into a deep sleep, and in his sleep, He took a rib from his side and formed one that would be both helper and companion: the **LORD** God formed woman."

"Out of the man's rib?" Bithiah asked.

"Well, yes." Caleb returned. "When the man woke up, he found that something was missing, and looked about. Then his eyes fell upon the most beautiful thing he had ever known and he knew that this was what he had been missing."

She nodded in recognition.

"Is it possible to marry someone that you know and to whom your soul is drawn toward greater than anyone else?"

"You mean love?" Caleb returned. "Ah, to be young and in love! Well, I'm certain that it's allowed. Sarah was beloved of Abraham, though she gave him no son, and the **LORD** blessed them and promised to give her a son, which He did in Isaac. Which is not to say that who man loves the **LORD** loveth, and who he hates is also hated by the **LORD**. The tale of Jacob is most unique in this."

"Come again?"

Caleb rubbed his temples, wracking his brains for the remembrance of this ancient story. All others looked about in reverence, for they were now about to hear the story of their ancestry.

"We were once called the Hebrews," Caleb said. "That is because when the **LORD** confounded the languages of the people of Babel, our ancestor Heber led a tribe of people who spoke similar to his language away from the tower, but not too far. But we are known as Children of Israel for the ten tribes of Jacob."

"Who's Jacob?"

"He was the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. He took to himself Rebekah as his wife, and she conceived. But there was great strife in her womb, and she prayed that the **LORD** would tell her why this was so. His messenger said that two nations were at war within her body: the eldest being stronger than the younger, yet subservient. When they were born, the eldest was Esau, the lord of Edom, and a mighty hunter - yea, few have matched his skill on the field, save perhaps for Nimrod the Great. His brother, however, stayed at the camp. Esau was beloved by his father, but Jacob by his mother. Then it came to pass..."

* * *

><p><em>The young man sat outside the tent, stirring the contents of the large pot before him. It was an early morning in the spring months and the cold still gripped the mountains. Some of the people had become ill these past few months and this red porridge was just what many of them needed to keep them warm and on their feet.<em>

_Just then, he heard the cries of the other servants that someone was approaching. Looking up, he saw the mass of red hair flying behind the head of the one stumbling up, walking on his bow._

_There was only one person in the camp with hair that red._

_"Brother!" Esau cried out, as he came to a stumbling halt before where his brother sat. "My dear, sweet brother!"_

_"What do you want, Esau?" Jacob was no fool. He knew his brother only sweet-talked him if he wanted something._

_"Food!" Esau panted. "It was a long hunt...with no game. I must have spent all night...just let me have something to eat..." His eyes moved greedily toward the pot before his brother and his hand went toward the contents before Jacob slapped his hand away._

_"That's not for you!"_

_"I'm starving to death!" Esau complained. "Just let me have some!"_

_"For a price."_

_"What is it you want now, you light-fingered little pest?"_

_"Your birth-right."_

_Esau laughed. "What good is a birth-right to a starving man? Just let me eat and I'll give you what you want."_

_"I know you better than that," Jacob said._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You're not very good at lying." Jacob stated. "You say you're out hunting and yet you spend most of your time with the Canaanite women. Just because father hasn't noticed it, don't think mother and I haven't."_

_"Are you going to let me eat or have the death of your brother on your hands from starvation?"_

_"Give me your word."_

_Jacob held out his hand. Esau's rough, hairy palm met his. The strength of his brother's grip was like a vice, as if, even now, he was trying to wrestle with him._

_"I swear on my honor," Esau began, but Jacob shook his head. "Very well, then by father's honor! I swear on the honor of our beloved father that I will surrender my birth-right to you in exchange for this porridge."_

_"Agreed." Jacob said, taking a step back while Esau indulged himself._

* * *

><p>"Jacob was the shrewdest man of the day," Caleb said. "Hence his name. But even though he conned his brother out of his birth-right, and later took the blessing of his father as well, the <strong>LORD<strong> forgave him and wrestled with him until morning many years later."

"But he would not let the servant of the **LORD** go unless he blessed him." Nashon added. "That was when Jacob became known as Israel."

"And we," Caleb continued. "Are the children of his twelve sons."

Bithiah nodded, though Mered noticed that she did not look very pleased with what had been said.

* * *

><p>One morning, several months after the Tabernacle had finally been finished, Bithiah was on her way to the rock at the foot of the mountain, where all the camp gathered to get water for their flocks. She was running an errand for Nashon, the prince of Judah. By now, the water of that pool was much purified and had no remnant of the bitterness brought forth by the mingling with the Golden Calf.<p>

After filling her clay-jar, she turned to leave and suddenly found the young Mered standing very close to herself.

"Oh, excuse me!" she exclaimed.

"Please, my fault." he said.

He leaned in, cupped some of the cool, refreshing water in his hand and brought it up to his mouth. After he was thus refreshed, he turned around and saw Bithiah making her way away from the rock. He increased his pace, over-taking her quite easily.

"Bithiah, please." he said. "Let me have a word with you."

She paused.

"It's not appropriate," she said. "For an unmarried man and an unmarried woman to be seen together in public."

"But we're betrothed," Mered stated. "I believe the Torah has something that permits such discourse."

She simply smiled. She had not read the whole Torah, just heard bits and pieces that fell down from the proclamation by Aaron: mostly things that would pertain to her and any situation in which she might find herself.

"You've been rather distant," Mered began. "Since Prince Nashon told you about father Israel." He led her aside, to a place among the forest of tents where they might have some privacy. "Something is bothering you, I can feel it."

"Can you?" Bithiah returned. Her jar under her arm, she walked away from the spot, with Mered following after her eagerly, like a loyal hound. "Your God seems to be quite powerful, from what I've heard and seen concerning Him."

"Oh, of a certain!" Mered stated. "I don't care if half of Judah thinks it's Moses guiding us, Caleb has never been wrong when it comes to his faith in the **LORD**."

"But don't you see, Mered?" she paused, turning around to face him. Mered found himself rather taken in with her beauty. Whether by reason of her youth or her own preference, she had not cut her hair as most Egyptians did, whether man or woman. Her eyes, also, were as deep, dark and rich as the voluminous curls cascading down her head.

"See what?" he asked, trying to think of what she might be talking about rather than her beauty.

"Your God is a mighty general," she began. "Your God is a great leader, a law-giver, even a harbinger of vengeance." She looked back. "How can a woman such as me associate with something that's so obviously male?"

This surprised Mered greatly. He had never seen God this way. Perhaps it was a short-coming of being a man, that he did not see things as 'male', just as 'things'. He was more than willing to accept God as all that Bithiah had attributed to Him, but did not realize that a woman could not associate with those same things before.

Or could they?

"But nothing is impossible with God!" he said. "Besides, the **LORD** is a friend and protector of the weak and helpless as much as of the strong and faithful. Think of Jacob, who was exiled from his family because of his betrayal of Esau, or Joseph, who was sent into Egypt because of his brothers' jealousy..."

"Jacob and Joseph were both men." she added. "I remember, several weeks ago, Caleb told the story of the Creation. He said that God cursed women to bear children in pain and be subservient to their husbands." She turned aside, the loose curls of her hair separating him from her as surely as the heavy veil separated the Holy Place from the Holiest Place.

"Not very kind, I would say." she stated.

Mered did not know what to say at first. Once again, this was seeing the **LORD** in a way that he had never bothered to consider. Touching on the subject of the sin of Adam and Eve, Mered had grown up in Egypt, where, by reason of his Israelite ancestry, he was a slave. He had practically grown up with hard work and toil as his companions, so that part of the curse did not mean very much to him. Even death came to everyone: the scholar and the fool, the Pharaoh and his servants, the master and his cattle, the woman and her husband.

But he hadn't seen it like that, as Sarah and Rachel had surely known the **LORD**. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind.

"Yet the **LORD** does indeed visit the weakest and most despised of man," he returned, raising his hands as she tried to protest. "Women too."

"How?"

"To bear children is a woman's greatest consolation, I have heard." he began. "Yet Sarah, the wife of Abraham, was denied children, and was greatly despised when she gave her hand-maid to lie with Abraham, who gave him Ishmael. Did the **LORD** forsake her? No! He gave her Isaac, a son of her own body, whom she nursed in her old age.

"And...and Rachel, the daughter of Laban and favorite of Jacob. She was despised because of her barrenness and mocked by her sister Leah, who bore many sons to Jacob. But the **LORD** visited her as well, and gave her Joseph and Benjamin."

Still her face was down-cast. With one hand, trembling though it was, Mered reached over and touched the tip of Bithiah's chin. It was soft, like water and milk flowing through his hand. She turned her head, the locks of hair gently being pushed aside, to reveal her oval-shaped, lovely face.

"Of those whom man despises," Mered said. "The **LORD** holds in high favor."

Her lips spread apart in a very pleased smile. Mered felt that he would surely melt if he endured under its gaze, yet he would not be parted from it.

"If the **LORD** indeed is a defender of the weak as well as a champion of the strong," Bithiah said. "Then gladly I will serve Him." It was then her turn to surprise Mered. She placed her hand upon his face, a little scruffy from the beard that he was trying to grow.

"And," she whispered. "If you will love me, even half as much as you love the **LORD**..." She smiled again. "Then gladly will I be your wife."

Mered smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I'm sure you've noticed, in regards to my <em>Wicked<em> fan-fics and liking of strong female characters, that I'm somewhat amiable to the cause of equal rights and moderate feminism. As such, I had a difficult time reconciling my female character with the stories and traditions that have been passed down through a predominately male society. My guess is that, so long before any kind of equal rights movement, it wasn't as formulated as now. Furthermore, the word 'conformity' has been used liberally, especially to vilify obedience and to promote undo rebellion.)**

**(I'll be back to the main story with the next chapter, never fear)  
><strong>


	25. Moving On

**(AN: Well I haven't gotten to those changes I promised yet, mostly cuz I'm lazy and don't have my laptop working, so I don't have indefinite internet access :(. Oh well, I hope you've been patient, and I hope that I can make the second half of the journey just as exciting as the first half was.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Moving On<strong>

During the following months, the people became rather relaxed with the idea of living here, on the slopes of Mount Sinai. There was always water from the rock and the mana came down from Heaven six days out of seven. They also began learning the new laws and the feast days that the **LORD** had ordained for them. Life was going quite easily for the people of Israel.

Three hundred and sixty days after the Tenth Plague had slain the firstborn of Egypt and the **LORD** brought the Children of Israel out of bondage, the Passover was celebrated once again in the desert. It was a time of joyful celebration among the faithful, for they had been free for a whole year. Others, however, were not so exuberantly joyful. No matter how many miracles and wonders they had seen, no matter how many times the **LORD** brought His judgment upon those who mocked Him with their wickedness, they continued to believe that it was Moses, not the **LORD**, who was guiding them. Choosing to forget all of the good that had befallen them, such as the water and the mana which kept them nourished and strong for the day, they, like Jambres, chose rather to complain that their present situation was not perfect. Pride and a slothful spirit led them to question whether God was leading them at all: for, thought they, should not a perfect God make the way to the Promised Land completely perfect and without any trials at all?

So it was that many still believed that they were being led out into the wilderness by Moses to die. They looked upon the corrections of God as unwarranted and cruel, preferring rather the barbaric treatment of their former masters, the Egyptians. They attributed to the **LORD** all the evils that were upon their own hearts, and feared Him as if He were indeed a tyrant rather than a loving shepherd.

* * *

><p>A month had passed since the second Passover had been observed. The second month was but ten days from being over. The morning started as always, with the gathering of the mana. In the tent of Aaron, he was entertaining the new lord of Midian: Hobab the son of Jethro. He had been born mid-way during Moses' stay in Midian and had grown to maturity by the time they were now encamped at Sinai.<p>

But Hobab's visit brought sad tidings for Moses and Zipporah. Old Jethro now slept with his ancestors. They mourned his passing and Zipporah had returned to her father's tents to see to his burial. But now she had returned, and they were in the tent of Aaron together - Moses, Zipporah, Aaron, Elishebah, their children, Miriam and the new lord of Midian - eating food that, predictably, consisted of mana.

While they were eating, the sound of commotion was heard outside the tent.

"I wonder what this could be." Aaron said.

Moses remained silent. Just then, the tent-flap was pushed back.

"Moses, Aaron!" Caleb announced. "The Pillar of Cloud...it's gone!"

"What!" Aaron rose to his feet in shock. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, my lord High Priest." Caleb stated. "I had just finished helping prince Nashon's family with the morning gathering when I saw the Cloud vanish from over the Tabernacle!" He turned to the veiled prophet. "Moses, what does this mean?"

Moses' eyes opened up and he stood tall.

"It is time to march!" Moses stated, with strength in his voice.

"At last!" Caleb announced. "The Promised Land will be ours!"

"L-Let me come with you," Moses said. "You must k-kn-now how the c-congregation must go f-forth."

"Yes, Moses!" Caleb smiled. He then walked out of the tent, his hands over his mouth and shouted out: "Rise up! The **LORD** leads us on to the Promised Land! Move out!"

Miriam and Elishebah then began the process of packing everything while the sons were gathering up their things. They did not let Zipporah aid them in their packing. As Moses followed Caleb outside of the tent, Hobab took up the rear.

"Wait!" Moses said to the young man. "You're going?"

"I must." Hobab returned. "My people need their prince."

"P-please!" Moses began. "Come with us. The **LORD** favors Israel, He will surely favor those who go with us!"

"But my people..."

"My sisters are more than capable of ruling the tribes on their own." Zipporah stated as she joined them. "My husband is right, brother. They need someone who knows the land to go before as a scout."

"Furthermore," Moses said. "All the good that the **LORD** has p-promised to do unto His p-people, so shall it be unto you, brother-in-law."

Hobab nodded. "Very well."

Moses smiled and slapped his shoulder, then turned to Caleb.

"This is h-h-how we shall depart," Moses began. "Judah, Issachar and Z-Zebulun shall go first, with the Tabernacle carried by the sons of Gershon and Merari." Moses felt strength rising up into his mouth as he spoke. "Reuben, Simeon and Gad will follow, with the holy furniture behind them, carried by the sons of Kohath. The rest shall be in this order: Ephraim, Manasseh, Benjamin, Asher, Naphtali and Dan."

"It will be done!" Caleb saluted, running off toward the camp of Judah to carry out his mission.

By noon, the people where assembled and ready for the march. The Tabernacle, which the LORD had commanded Moses to place in the midst of the camp rather than on the outskirts, was being taken down slowly, with Aaron going in alone into the Holiest Place to place the blue veil upon the Ark of the Covenant. When at last all was done, Aaron waved over his sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eliezar and Ithamar - and they stood on either sides of the Ark, to be the bearers of the poles that held the Ark.

"Rise up, **LORD!**" Moses shouted out, his voice filled with strength. "And let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee!"

Suddenly, the giant pillar of cloud appeared once more in front of Moses and the people. It moved before them, just as it had almost a year past, when they left Egypt.

"Let us go forth!" Caleb, whose place was with the people of Judah, at the front of the line, shouted to those behind. The princes of the people repeated his declaration, and soon they were off again.

The sands at the base of Mount Sinai, which had become, to them, like a home, they were now leaving for good.

* * *

><p>Many days had passed now since they left Sinai. The land of Canaan was still many days journey onward, but they were now come upon a great and wide plain north of the valley of Taberah. It had been so named because, while they had camped there, those people who hated the <strong>LORD<strong> spoke out against Him and against Aaron and did evil before the **LORD**. In response, they were burned with fire from Heaven.

The tents had not begun to appear upon the plain when the elders came rushing to Moses and Aaron, with throngs of people running after them.

"What do you bring before us?" Aaron asked.

"The people are starving!" one of the elders said.

"We want food!"

"But you have food!" Aaron returned.

"Mana?" one of the people shouted. "That's not food!"

"It was better off for us in Egypt!"

"Yes!" another said whining. "We ate fish and cucumbers and onions and leeks and garlic there and meat to our fill!"

"Is not the mana wholesome?" Aaron said.

"Wait!" Moses spoke, his voice firm but filled with indignation. All were silent as he spoke.

"The **LORD** has spoken!" he began. "The elders must sanctify themselves before the **LORD**, to go before the Tabernacle and become co-rulers among the people. But you..." He pointed to the people behind them.

"Because of your rebellion and your spite against the **LORD**," Moses said. "You _shall_ eat meat - not for a day, or two, or five, or seven, or ten or even twenty days...but for a whole _month!_ Until you've eaten so much meat that it oozes out of your nostrils and you loathe it!"

There was silence, while the people mused on what evil this meant for them.

"And just how will this come about?" Dathan queried. "We are six hundred thousand men strong! Shall the flocks and herds be slain, or shall all the fish of the sea be magically brought up to feed us?"

"Is the hand of the **LORD** waxed short?" Moses returned. "Tomorrow...you shall see whether or not this will come to pass!"

He then departed back into the tent, with Aaron shrugging before the people before running back after his brother.

* * *

><p>The morning came to pass, and there was a great noise throughout the camp. Moses, now living in his wife's tent, arose early to gather the mana with his two sons as before. At the door of the tent there stood Joshua.<p>

"Moses!" he announced. "Something's wrong!"

"What is it?" Moses asked.

"Just look!" he announced. "We cannot see the mana this morning! There are quail all around the camp as far as the eye can see! But that's not the only problem! The elders you sent to the Tabernacle, well, they've been prophesying all night and they're _still_ going on!"

"That's _good_ n-news, Joshua!"

"But there are two men," Joshua continued. "They're not of the elders, and _they_'_re_ prophesying as well. Should we tell them to cease?"

"Why?" Moses laughed. Joshua turned back: Moses had actually laughed. "Are you jealous? Would to God that _all_ of the **LORD**'s people were prophets to receive His spirit!"

"Even so," Joshua said. "I fear what these quail might do. I mean, some of us still _like_ the mana. It's sweet like honey, yet mixes like oil when ground into our meal. But all these quail!"

"The people d-demanded," Moses said. "And the **LORD** shall show what the end of their lusts shall be."

Cries were now rising up from among the camp.

"What is it?" Joshua asked. "Are we under attack?"

Moses shook his head.

"They are reaping the fruits of their lust," Moses said. "Even as the meat is between their teeth."

* * *

><p>A month had passed since the people had eaten themselves into their graves by reason of their lusts. The plain, which had been renamed the Graves of Lust, or Kibroth-Hattaavah, was far behind them. They were once again on the move, always northward.<p>

At last, there came a day when the Pillar of Cloud halted. Moses ordered Aaron to bring the Ark up and place it before the Pillar.

"Return, O **LORD**!" he said. "Unto the ten thousands of Israel!"

The people therefore began to set up their tents. Today they would rest and set camp and pray that no further calamities befell them - though many refused to believe that it had been _their_ fault that the calamities struck.

In the camp of Levi, Aaron was helping Miriam set up their tents, since his sons were busy at the Tabernacle overseeing its completion in his absence. While they were busy, Miriam turned and saw Mered and Bithiah walk past them on their way to the camp of Judah.

"It's a disgrace," she muttered.

"What is?" Aaron asked.

"Watering our sacred blood with that of... _heathens_!" she said. "But then again, Moses has no problem with that...what with him marrying that Ethiopian _scum_!"

"If the **LORD** has aught against their union," Aaron said. "Then He shall reveal it to Moses."

"'Reveal it to Moses'," she murmured. "And why _should_ He? You're the High Priest, and _I'm_ the elder of our people! Who was it who took care of the people while _he_ was off hiding from the Pharaoh or running away into Midian?"

"You were!" Aaron admitted.

"Exactly!" she returned. "Why _shouldn't_ the **LORD** speak to us instead of Moses? Are we any less than him?"

"No."

"Have we suffered any less than he?"

"No!" Aaron stated. "In fact, I'd say that, Egypt included, we've suffered _more_ than Moses ever did!"

"Exactly!" Miriam repeated. "See? Even _you_ agree with me! This has gone too far!"

"Ahem!"

The two turned around, looking rather guilty. It was only Caleb.

"Moses has asked for you two," he said.

"Us?" they chorused.

"Yes, at the Tabernacle. Now!" His voice was serious, with no jest or lightheartedness in his voice.

They shared glances with each other, then followed after Caleb.

* * *

><p>As they passed through the many-colored doorway that led into the courtyard, walked past the large altar of brass and washed their hands in the bronze laver, they parted the curtain and entered into the Holy Place, all of blue, violet and crimson with cherubim of gold woven into the walls. There was the table of showbread, and the golden <em>menorah<em> and the altar of incense. Beyond was the heavy curtain that cut them off from the Holiest Place. There was a rush of wind coming from beyond, for in there the Pillar of Cloud came to rest.

"Hear the word of the **LORD**!" a voice spoke from inside the Holiest Place. "If there is a prophet among you, I will make My word known unto him through a vision or a dream. Moses is faithful unto Me in all of the house of Israel: with him I will even speak plainly, mouth to mouth as a man speaks unto his friend, and he shall behold My likeness."

"My **LORD**," Moses said abashedly. "I...s-s-surely there are some of good report among Thy p-p-people..."

"If I have chosen him," the voice said again. "And speak with him face to face and let him see My likeness, why then were _you_ two so unafraid of speaking ill against him?"

Miriam cried out suddenly, and fell down upon the ground. Aaron, keeping his gaze averted, crawled over to her on his hands and knees and placed his hand upon her shoulder. Her hand went back to forbid him from touching her, and immediately Aaron fell back in fear, his hands over his mouth.

Her hand was rotting, the skin upon it white as snow and dead like that of a stillborn child.

"Unclean!" Aaron cried. "Unclean!" He threw himself out of the Tabernacle, crying "Unclean!" as he ran out into the courtyard.

Moses turned back to the veil that separated Him from Moses.

"My **LORD**," he said. "P-please, don't let this sickness be unto death! Heal her in all of Thy mercy!"

The wind slowly died down, and Moses nodded. He then turned to his sister, the one who had saved him from starvation at the inexperienced hand of the Pharaoh's daughter, who had helped wean him with their mother, and now had turned against him in rebellion. Her cohort, their brother, had run in fear. Only he was left.

He reached down and lifted her up to her feet.

Outside, Aaron was groveling in the dirt, reaching into the grating beneath the altar and pulling forth ashes which he threw upon his head as he wept aloud. Slowly, through his blood-shot eyes, he saw the feet of Moses walking out of the Tabernacle.

"Moses, please!" Aaron said, crawling before his brother. "Don't let this sin be upon us! We have sinned, we were fools to deny the **LORD**'s chosen! Only please, let this..."

Moses held up his hand, continuing to help the poor, weakened Miriam make her way out of the Tabernacle without harming herself any further by reason of the malady upon her.

"She shall be shut out of the camp," Moses said. "For seven days. After which, she shall be healed." He then turned to his brother, the one who had _seen_ first-hand how the **LORD** was with them, and therefore had no reason to doubt.

"Lead her away." Moses said, turning away as a tear trickled down his face. Aaron nodded and, careful to only touch her robes, led Miriam out of the Tabernacle...and then the camp...

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Well, on <em>that<em> lovely note, we can end this chapter)**


	26. Forty Days

**(AN: And now, a new chapter! I've definitely decided to elaborate on this one, since it leaves much room for explication. For instance, the _OKJV_ says that the spies went south, but, geographically, they would have been going _north_ [James Stuart...epic fail!]. Other than that, this is _still_ quite close to the 'book', as it were.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Forty Days<strong>

The people were gathered about Moses and the seventy elders. The whole congregation was possessed by an air of nervous anticipation. The desert of Paran, into which they had camped, was just a few miles south of the Sea of Salt, where Sodom and Gomorrah had once resided. This could only mean one thing.

They were near the Promised Land.

"I've never been this far north," Hobab had whispered to Moses. "I'm afraid I can be of no help here."

That was why they were now gathered here. Moses waved Aaron, the High Priest, in towards him and whispered into his ears. After Miriam's week of leprosy, neither of them entertained the idea of rebelling against the one whom God had chosen.

"Thus sayeth the **LORD** God of Israel!" Aaron announced, raising his hands before the congregation. "'Behold, the land of Canaan is nigh. Send thou men, that they may search the land which I have promised unto thy fathers to give to you as an inheritance.'"

A soft ripple of murmuring issued from those gathered about.

"One man from each tribe," Aaron continued. "As with the offerings you gave when the Tabernacle was built, we shall not force you: only those of a free and willing heart need volunteer for this task."

"I will go," Caleb stated. "For the tribe of Judah." He rose from his place and stood before Moses and Aaron.

"For the tribe of Ephraim!" Joshua added, joining his friend at his side. The two then looked at those before them.

All were standing about with blank expressions, expecting to be called upon, yet stunned that these two had not been disregarded for their boldness.

Suddenly...

"Shammua, son of Zaccur," a third man said as he stood out from the rest and walked towards Caleb and Joshua. "For the tribe of Reuben."

"Shaphat Ben-Hori for Simeon!" a fourth stated.

"Igal for Issachar!"

"Palti Ben-Raphu, for Benjamin!"

"Gaddiel for Zebulun!"

"And Gaddi for Manasseh!"

"For Dan!" Ammiel stated.

"For Asher!" Sethur added.

"Naphtali!"

"Gad!"

Moses waved his hands and the twelve men gathered around him, while Aaron and the elders dismissed the others. Moses whispered something in Caleb's ear, then spoke to them all together.

"Gird your loins and p-prepare for a long journey," he began. "You are to go north, into the lands before us and s-sound out the strength of the p-p-people and the good of the l-l-land. Bring for us some token of the good of that land."

"Yes, Moses." they said, one after the other.

"Have courage, my sons." Moses finished. "And may God be with you."

He then left, and the rest of the men departed from thence back to their tents, to prepare for the journey into the Promised Land.

* * *

><p><em>Day One...<em>

Early that morning, twelve tents did not see the lords of their 'household' join their families and their wives and children as they gathered mana from off the earth. Those twelve simply gathered some from out of their path as they set out from the camp. They were now walking through the hot desert sands as they left the camp far behind them.

"So," Shammua began. "Where should we start?"

Caleb pointed toward a high mountain that sat along the edge of the horizon.

"We'll have a clear sight of the land for miles in all directions from up there." Caleb stated.

The others agreed and so set the high mountain as their course.

They did not have far to go before they were sweating and panting up the side of the mountain. It was indeed high, and by the time they had reached the top, all were aching from the hefty climb, regardless of their fitness.

It was indeed a choice view of the surrounding land. All of the valleys and canyons of the land of Canaan were stretched out before them, and the cities thereof, as far as Lachish to the west and Gilgal to the north. In the midst of this, closest at hand, was the great Sea of Salt: it loomed like a giant canyon cut into the vastness of the surrounding mountains, blue yet offering as little nourishment from the dryness of the desert as the sands.

"I've heard stories about that sea," Palti of Benjamin said, pointing to the huge body of water just at hand. Joshua marked the fear in his voice as he spoke on. "Even in Egypt, rumors of the Dead Sea abound. They say that no fish live in those waters, that nothing can live on its shores."

"You wouldn't expect a sea of _salt_ to have anything growing around it, would you, Palti?" Caleb stated.

"It's unnatural!" Shaphat of Simeon added.

"Keep your wits about you, now!" Joshua said to them all. "It's just a foul lake, nothing more. Remember Marah? It's only been a year or so."

The others didn't look so relieved by Caleb and Joshua's optimism.

"It's quite a lot of land to cover," caleb stated. "So we'll divide into groups, map the valleys as we go, return to this mountain when we're ready to return to the camp."

"Which way should we go?" Geuel, the spy from the tribe of Gad queried.

"Our immediate target seems to be there," Caleb pointed to the lush lands to the west of the Sea of Salt. "If all goes well, we will be marching up this way within three months and inhabiting all this land.

"Shaphat, Palti, Joshua and I will go down the middle, towards that valley in the center." Caleb continued. "The rest of you, divide into two groups of four and take the right hand and left."

They agreed to this, and took off as ordered.

* * *

><p><em>Day Two...<em>

None of them brought tents, since their tents were made for large families to sleep in together with all of their belongings - such as the rest of the people had back at the camp. They would not be needing tents for this mission of espionage. Four men sleeping out in the open, under the stars, taking watch each one in their turn, was not as great a target as four tents with a fire about them.

Caleb, who was the last on the watch, woke the rest of them up and got them on their way. They were now walking at a brisk pace, already on their way through the valleys and gorges. Each of them had a staff in hand and a short knife in each of their belts.

They were now walking through a great forest. At least, it was great, for those who lived in Egypt where there were not often large groups of trees such as the people of the north would call 'forests.' The trees here were neither very old or very large. But for these four, who had spent the last year and a fourth in the desert, this was like paradise.

"This forest unnerves me to the core!" Shaphat stated.

"It's just a forest, son." Caleb stated. "No different than the palm-groves of Egypt..."

"Just...bigger!" Joshua added.

"There's too many places to hide," Palti added. "I feel like we're being watched."

"Come on, now!" Joshua turned to the two. "Why so fearful? God's with us, after all."

"God?" Shaphat queried. "Neither Moses nor the Ark are with us."

"And what makes you think that God is confined to the Ark of the Covenant?" Caleb queried over his shoulder, not even slacking his pace.

"It was not God who lead us out here," Palti added. "It was Moses. It always has been."

"Moses didn't part the Red Sea, though."

Shaphat laughed.

"Did I say something amusing?"

"It's just that," Shaphat stated. "Well, we're all surprised you yes-men of Moses are still preaching those fairy tales to us."

"It's the truth!" Caleb replied.

"The _truth_," Palti interjected. "Is that we walked through a marsh - a sea of _reeds_. Moses is a clever man, able to tell a whole assembly that a puff of wind or a shaft of lightning is God. It's just sad that so many believe his lies."

"You were there, Palti." Caleb turned, pausing from the walk. "You saw the Sea open up before your eyes."

"What about the mana?" Joshua asked. "How could Moses have enough food to feed the entire camp every week suddenly appear?"

"He's a witch!" Shaphat exclaimed.

"It's just the sap of a tamarisk tree." Palti added. "And the water...well, from what I've heard, he _did_ spend forty years as a shepherd in the wilderness of Sinai before he returned to us. He knew the terrain, knew where to find water: he just made up a huge facade to trick us all into believing that it was God who called the water forth."

"How?" Joshua asked, looking at them both earnestly in the eyes. "How can you doubt the power of the **LORD**? How can you doubt that He and He alone has guided us out of Egypt and brought us up into the Promised Land? Have you already forgotten everything He's done for us?"

Shaphat and Palti looked at each other, then turned back to Joshua.

"You wouldn't understand." Shaphat stated. "You're Moses' man through and through."

"Both of you are." Palti added.

"What do you mean by that?" Caleb asked.

"Moses has deceived the whole congregation," Shaphat began. "Telling them that God is guiding us, working wonders through normal, every-day 'miracles'. But once your fantasies are rebutted with cold, hard truth, with reason and proof, the rest of the people will see your charlatan for what he really is!"

"But there's some," Palti added. "Among the camp, ignorant people, stupid people, blind people, people who _want_ to believe in something so badly, they'll follow _any_ old charlatan, eating up his lies as if they were meat, and flat-out refuse to believe in reason and proof when it's presented to them."

"I see," Caleb nodded. He then turned and walked on, with Joshua following after him and the two taking up the rear.

"What, that's it?" Joshua whispered. "You're not gonna say anything...or-or _do_ anything?"

"We have our mission, Joshua." he returned. "Besides, my faith is sure. It's _they_ who are blind. After all..." He patted Joshua on the shoulder. "Haven't we seen enough of God's power to last us a life-time? I know _I_ sure have."

Joshua nodded. "As have I."

The eldest of the two turned back to the others to see if they were keeping up, then back to Joshua.

"How old are you again?"

"Forty."

"You look rather young for your age," Caleb stated. "When I first met you, I thought you were twenty."

"The family of Nun are known for aging slowly." Joshua said with pride.

Caleb sighed. "I wonder how long man will continue to live for so long. The **LORD** said that man's days shall only be one hundred and twenty, but so far, I've known many who've barely lived past one hundred." He turned back to Joshua. "I'm rather old myself, in fact. Almost fifty."

"One would scarce believe it!" Joshua exclaimed. "Not by the way you carry yourself."

"Oh, aye." Caleb returned. "I've heard the same before. I'm not sure if that's true. Moses is much older than I, and his natural force has not been abated by reason of age." He sighed. "We're the last of an ancient generation, I feel, Moses and I: the last of the old patriarchs."

He then looked up and smiled.

"Oh well, I only hope I'll be able to be of use once I'm ninety."

"I hope you're _alive_ when you're ninety." Joshua added. "I don't think I could endure living so long without a good friend like you."

Caleb smiled with slight strain, then placed his arm around Joshua's shoulder. "You're a man of faith, Joshua. I am truly blessed of the **LORD** to be your friend."

"I'm honored." Joshua returned.

While they walked on, Joshua paused for a moment.

"Hold!" he said. The others gathered behind him, looking to see what he had stopped to behold. A line of tall shrubs stood before them, forming a wall to mark the edge of the forest. On the branches of said shrubs there were many large red fruit about the size of a small melon. Joshua reached up and tore the fruit off the branch.

"Be careful," Palti stated. "It could be poisonous." His companion gave him a swift jab in the side.

"It's a pomegranate." Joshua explained. He took his knife and dug it into the flesh of the fruit, making a small incision. With both hands, he cracked the rind open, revealing the hundreds of red seeds that gazed up eagerly from out of the yellow flesh.

Caleb reached in, picked one of the small seeds up and popped it into his mouth. A smile then fell upon his face.

"What's so amusing?" Shaphat asked.

To his surprise, Caleb laughed. "All memory of any fruit I ever tasted in Egypt is soon forgotten, as I now savor the fruit of the Land of Milk and Honey."

Joshua reached in and took a few seeds out as well, tasting them. It was good indeed. The others then joined in, feasting upon the large pomegranate.

"Eat it all up," Caleb said. "The fruit we bring back should be our last duty, since we don't want it spoiled."

"Well," Palti queried, wiping the juices of the pomegranate seeds away from his bearded lips. "Why can't we take this with us?"

"I'm sure the others have found something equally desirous," Caleb said. "No need for us to bring back everything."

* * *

><p><em>Day Fifteen...<em>

The trek from the mountain north into the land of Canaan would not take a long while. However, as they had their mission, they did not often spend many nights together. The last night they spent together was the day after they found the large pomegranates. The next several days were spent on their own, as they scouted the land and made notes of their progress - sometimes written into their very clothing, if they lacked any writing tools.

Today, however, they were finally together for a while. In a small bole of the woods they sat, enjoying a meal of some of the fruit and grain they found in a nearby field. Since their plan was one of stealth, they could not be lighting fires for cooking meats.

"We need something more than just fruit," Shaphat stated.

"I agree," Palti added. "Without any of the harder foods, the Land of Milk and Honey will become quite loathsome to our eyes and our tongues."

"Did you really think it was literal?" Caleb asked.

"Didn't you?" Shaphat returned.

"Of course not," the eldest of them said. "It was figurative. Milk is one of the foundations of life: the child drinks milk from his mother to make him strong, then grows up and becomes a farmer, and has sons and daughters of his own, who milk the goats to make cheese and butter for the family. Honey, well, is there anything sweeter?"

"Mana's a close second." Joshua added.

"Speak for yourself." Palti spoke. "I'd rather die than eat mana for one more day."

"But it's our food, our divine nourishment!" Caleb said.

"It's light, bland and worthless!" Palti continued. "Oh, damn Moses for bringing plagued quail upon the camp. I'd give _anything_ for a piece of meat!"

They noticed that Palti was almost crying as he spoke.

"It was not Moses that brought the quail upon the camp," Joshua said. "I was there. There were so many of the little birds, you'd have to walk away from the camp for a whole day before you saw their end. No man could have done that."

"Moses wants us to believe that it was punishment from God," Shaphat stated. "It's clear they were plagued, and Moses was clever enough to anticipate their arrival."

Just then, an arrow struck the ground before their feet. Caleb and Joshua drew out their swords, and Shaphat and Palti prepared their staves.

"Who goes there?" Caleb asked.

"Friends!" a voice called out.

"Then show yourselves, _friends_!"

One by one, the forms of Gaddi, Gaddiel, Ammiel and Shammua appeared from out of the trees, with a very exhausted-looking Igal following at the rear.

"Caleb!" Shammua said. "I hope fortune has been kinder to you than to us."

"We've encountered little resistance, if that is what you're saying." Caleb said. "The **LORD** be praised!"

"We have trouble," Shammua reported. "The other group hasn't reported back yet." He turned to Igal.

"Where were they last seen?" Joshua inquired.

"At Hebron," Igal said. "We heard rumors about the Philistine princes, making an alliance with the _Anakim_ at Hebron. We went that way to see what this would mean to us, but the others were captured. Only I escaped."

"You abandoned your compatriots in their time of need?" Joshua asked suspiciously.

"What was I supposed to do?" Igal whined. "There were too many!"

"Which way is Hebron?" Caleb asked. "Can you take us there?"

Igal nodded, albeit quite fearfully.

"Very well," Caleb said. "We're going after our friends, to rescue them from Hebron."

One by one, they left the spot, following Caleb and Igal as they led the column.

"Palti," Joshua said, walking over to the Benjamite spy. "Perhaps we'll get to see your tribe's famed skills in battle."

"I d-don't know what you mean." Palti shook his head.

"I was there at Rephidim," Joshua stated. "I lead the battle from the front-lines. You Benjamites are quite impressive, to say the least. Some of your sling-shots had a sling in each hand, hurling rocks as thick as hail at the Amalekites."

"Well, I wouldn't know about all_ that..._" he dismissed.

"But I suppose we'll know soon enough, eh?" Joshua returned, patting Palti on the shoulder.

The Benjamite returned with a weak laugh, then looked out in fear at the land. Already, it seemed, that their quest was becoming more and more complicated as it was.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: What will happen to the spies? Will they find their friends? And what about Shaphat and Palti's complaints: do they really speak for the rest of the Israelites? Find out when the next chapter gets posted, which should be soon...hopefully)<br>**


	27. Forty Years

**(AN: As you can see by our chapter's title, this is not going to end well.)**

**(Also, there is a little bit of a humorous anachronism. I hope it doesn't take too much away from the story.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Forty Years<strong>

_Day Eighteen..._

The city of Hebron. It was a fortified city, of which, Caleb and Joshua saw, there were many in this region. Rumors were that the fortress of Jericho, many miles to the north, above the head of the Sea of Salt, was in fact bigger than Hebron - to say nothing of the Jebusite capital city of Jerusalem.

Their plan was simple: break into Hebron and rescue three of their fellow spies before they gave away their mission, or their location.

The nine men crouched on the brink of a hill that over-looked the city of Hebron.

"It's so big!" Ammiel exclaimed.

"That's what she said!" Shammua added, which garnered laughs from most of the other spies.

"We still have our mission," Caleb stated. "And I feel that it would be foolish to assume that the people of Hebron won't be trying to get as much information out of our three friends. At the very best, they know we're here in their land."

"And at worst?" Shaphat queried fearfully.

"At worst, they know we're coming to rescue our friends." Caleb stated. "Or, they're dead by now." He turned back to see their solemn and fearful gazes. "Take heart! I don't think we'll be bringing three bodies back to the camp."

"So, Caleb," Joshua queried. "What's our next move?"

"Igal, where were they captured?" Caleb asked.

"About three miles south of here."

"Then we can assume," he turned back to the city. "That, if they know about the rest of us, they will expect an attack from the south. We'll move around to the north and make our move from there."

"Why waste such precious time back-tracking?" Gaddi asked. "We should just move into the city and rescue them now."

"Our entire operation balances on secrecy." Caleb reminded them. "If they don't know where we are, or where we're coming from, then our task will be easier. Better that they think one of their neighbors are attacking from the north than a band of nomads from the south."

"Why bother, Caleb?" Gaddiel asked. "Isn't it all in the hands of your God? Won't He make it all better?"

"Of course He will," Caleb rebutted. "But God also rewards those who act upon His word, not waiting for something they've already been told about a thousand times."

He waved them on and they left the little hill overlooking Hebron.

* * *

><p><em>Day One and Twenty...<em>

To their surprise, the spies discovered a great valley that stretched on into the north away from Hebron. It was a wide valley, and seemed like the perfect place for an army, or even two, to meet and flank them.

"I don't like this valley," Igal said. "We're too open."

"You're starting to sound like Shaphat and Palti." Caleb commented.

"He's not alone, Caleb!" Shammua said. "So far we've seen nothing to confirm the rumors that this really _is_ a land of promise, a brave country filled with milk and honey."

"Don't tell me you thought it was literal, also!"

"And don't think we'll just stand quiet while you and Joshua deceive the people..._again_!" Gaddi stated.

"Now listen!" Caleb shouted. "You've got to keep your wits about you! We're going into a city to rescue our friends, and it won't do to have more than half of us stiff with fear." He sighed.

"Shaphat! Palti!" he waved them over. "You two go into that valley, see if we're being flanked."

"Palti's from Benjamin!" Joshua said, walking over to Caleb. "We'll need his skills with the sling in our rescue. Let me go instead..."

"No," Caleb whispered. "No, I can't manage six doubtful children all on my own." He then turned to the others. "Gaddi, you accompany Shaphat north to scout out our flank. Report back if you find anything."

They nodded, then departed.

"The rest of us," Caleb turned around. "We've got our mission."

* * *

><p><em>Day Five and Twenty...<em>

Outside Hebron, seven men spied upon the city, planning their infil- and ex-filtration. Miles to the north, at the end of the valley of Elah, two men found a vineyard outside the city of Eschol.

"Shaphat, look!" Gaddi exclaimed.

It was the most glorious grape-vine they had ever seen. The wood was like the trunk of a tree, with large leaves that offered quite a deal of shade from the sun. But what was most amazing about this vine were the fruit. Huge clusters of grapes, some two and a half cubits in length from stem to the last grape, hung heavily upon the great vine.

"It's magnificent!" Gaddi stated.

"It's so big!" Shaphat said, his eyes greedy with the thought of savoring the juice of every last one of the many thousands of grapes. "We've got to take this back to the others."

"But what about rescuing the others?" Gaddi asked.

"We still have our mandate from Moses," Shaphat stated. "I-I've got to bring this back." He took out his knife, walked up to the huge grape-vine and began trying to hack through the giant stem.

"Be realistic, Shaphat!" Gaddi exclaimed. "You can't carry that! It's almost half your size!"

"Then help me!"

Gaddi nodded then joined Shaphat with attempting to remove the giant cluster from its stem. Once they got half of the stem successfully cut through, the whole cluster began weighing the vine down on one end.

"Give me your staff!" Shaphat shouted.

Gaddi ran over to where they had left their staves and took up one of them.

"Wait, both of them!" Shaphat added.

With the other staff in his other hand, Gaddi joined Shaphat as he was taking down the rest of the vine. Gaddi ran the staff in his hand through the crook of the broken stem, while the other stem snapped with a loud _crack_. Shaphat barely had time to take up his staff and run it through the other side. After a few minutes of struggle, Gaddi walked to the back of the staves and Shaphat at the front, that they were now carrying the huge cluster as the priests carried the Ark.

"Just wait until they see this!" Gaddi called, as he and Shaphat strained to walk onward with their giant load in their arms.

That evening, the others began to execute their plan of entering Hebron. After examining the traffic in and out of the city, they stowed into the wagon of a passing caravan that was late in arriving at the city. Two men to a wagon, so that they would not make as much of a scene for having all seven in one wagon, and so that if they _were_ discovered, one would not be easily overtaken.

Once they were inside the city, they discreetly escaped the wagons, procured robes to conceal themselves, and began listening for any indication of where their fellows might be kept. Unfortunately, the language that these people spoke was quite different to that which they knew, and it would take at least a few days more for them to learn at least enough to know what they were saying.

* * *

><p><em>Day Two and Thirty...<em>

After about six days in the city of Hebron, the spies had learned enough of the Canaanite language to be able to listen in to and understand the conversation adequately. On the seventh day, they were gathered outside a courtyard of the Hebron barracks.

Three men were dragged into the pavement by several of the Hebroni soldiers. They looked like they had endured the worst at the hand of the prison captain of Hebron's dungeon.

"Hold!" one shouted.

The guards knelt down, almost cowered in fear. Even the spies, where they were hidden, were shaking as they saw a huge figure approach. Caleb smelt something foul nearby, and noticed a small wet stain at Shaphat's feet.

"Oh no!" he quietly whined. "It's them! The Anakim! We are undone!"

"It's just one." Caleb whispered.

But he knew what he would be up against. In the seven days that had spent here, as well as from their scouting, they had learned a wealth of information about the Philistines, the nation from which the sons of Anak hailed. They believed themselves to be invincible with their iron weapons and their battle-wagons. Furthermore, they believed that, because they were better than all of their neighbors, that it was their divine duty to elevate them to their level: by force.

The Anakim were even worse. They were giants, some over six cubits high, who feared no power, whether earthly or divine. They served no master save for themselves, but it often was that they found the cultural bigotry of the lords of the Philistines to be to their liking, and so sent some of their warriors as mercenaries to the Philistines.

"You!" the giant roared, pointing to Geuel. "What is your purpose here?"

"My lord Sheshai," one of the guards said. "We've held them for almost nine days, they've revealed nothing!"

The giant picked up the guard by the throat, lifted him up off the ground and smashed his face into the wall. Gasps came from the others, and the three Hebrews flinched in fear at this callous disregard for life.

"Why look so afraid, children?" Sheshai queried. "My brothers will be here soon enough, and they'll make short work of you...unless you talk, that is."

"Our God will deliver us!" Sethur said. Caleb was surprised at his sudden show of faith.

"God?" Sheshai queried. "_I_ am your god, maggot! On your knees before me!" He struck Sethur across the face with his fist, sending the poor Israelite sprawling on the ground. The giant spat in his direction.

"Gods," he said derisively. "A crutch for the weak! The strong have no need for gods." He kicked Geuel down, then turned to Ammiel. "What about you? Do _you_ fear some image of stone more than me?"

"Our God is true and fights for us!" he whined.

"Then let Him save you!" Sheshai cuffed him across the face. "Well? Where is your God _now_, slave?"

Caleb was practically seething with rage at this blatant affront to the **LORD**. Drawing out his knife, he threw off his cloak and charged into the court.

"The sword of the **LORD!**" he shouted. Suddenly, Joshua leaped out of concealment and drew his knife as well. Sheshai laughed.

"Two?" he mocked. "Enough for a child to kill!"

"Attack!" Joshua ordered. The others crawled out from their hiding places, knives in hand and knees shaking before the great giant.

"Ha!" Sheshai roared. "Five frightened sheep and two fools come against a son of Anak? I'll show you why we are the gods of this land!"

The giant ran at them, but the others were too afraid to face him in single combat and Caleb and Joshua had only one objective: free the others.

"Caleb! Get the others!" Joshua shouted. He ran over to them and hacked their bonds off.

"Joshua, the horn!"

A long, loud blast sounded on the horn of Nun that sent the whole of the city into confusion. Some were running around, seeking shelter, while the guards tried frantically to keep order.

Caleb and Joshua waved them over and they made for the exit. Behind them, Sheshai was laughing and calling down mockery and insult upon them and their God.

Once they were out of the city and a good way down into the Valley of Elah, they made contact with the other two and took hiding. The night was closing in, and they had to make fast to the mountain. Caleb sat at the edge of their camp, looking quite morose. Joshua walked over to him while the others were sleeping.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Joshua," Caleb dismissed. "Just angry."

"At what, old friend?"

"At the brazen presumption of Prince Sheshai." he said. He then turned to his friend. "We've seen the works our the **LORD** first-hand, there should be no doubt among us. Yet there is...for them, maybe, there is still hope..." He looked at the others. "Even the Egyptians believed in _some_ kind of god. But...ugh, how dare that little man insult the Almighty God!"

"Little, yeah." Joshua laughed.

"Everything is little before the **LORD**, Joshua!" Caleb said. "The highest city we've seen this past month, the strongest army...the tallest giant, they're all but shadows and dust before the power of God." He shook his head. "When we come to take this land, I want first-crack at those Anakim! I'll show them that there _is_ a God in Israel!"

"Even though you're almost fifty?" Joshua asked.

"Even if I'm a hundred years old!" Caleb returned.

Joshua nodded, then patted his friend on the shoulder. "Get some rest. We leave at first light."

* * *

><p><em>Day Forty...<em>

When at last the spies returned from the mountain, the whole camp was out and gathered around Moses' tent to hear what they had to report, though it was well onto evening. Mered, Salmon and Bithiah were also there, with a group of several other young men and women their own age or older. So far, they were interred in the tent.

Inside the tent, Gaddi and Gaddiel held the huge cluster of grapes while the others stood around where Moses and Aaron sat.

"What a bountiful land!" Aaron exclaimed, biting into a fig the size of his hand.

"It is indeed a land of milk and honey!" Gaddi stated.

"You think?" Ammiel queried, first at Gaddi, then turning to Moses and Aaron. "Well, I'd say that this land of Promise isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Explain." Moses said.

"We'd have to fight our way through a hedge," Igal said. "The cities are huge. I thought I saw the greatest cities in Egypt, but they're even _bigger_ out here!"

"It's already inhabited!" Nahbi added. "Amalekites to the south, Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites in the mountains, and from the north-eastern river of Jordan all the way to the sea is Canaanite territory."

"Nothing we can't handle, with the **LORD** on our side!" Caleb stated.

"The **LORD**?" Shaphat queried. "You think your God is still with us?" He turned to Nahbi, Sethur and Geuel. "Did He save you from the sons of Anak?"

Moses and Aaron whispered among each other at this.

"This whole gathering is a lie," Palti stated. "The people should know what they're getting themselves into, right?"

Nine other voices stated in affirmation.

"Did not the **LORD** keep us from going by way of the Philistines before the crossing of the Red Sea?" Joshua asked. "Please, the people will lose heart if you..."

"If we what?" Shaphat challenged. "Refuse to dissemble along with your stuttering charlatan and his gutless brother...and you ignorant fools?" He then turned to the others and they nodded. One by one, they walked out of the tent and rose their hands to silence the murmuring crowds.

"Listen to us!" Shammua said. "We have seen the land with our own eyes, and it is an empty dream!"

"There be giants in that land!" Shaphat said. "We were but grasshoppers in our own eyes!"

"They live in walled fortresses, greater than the columned halls of Egypt!" Igal said.

"Don't listen to them!" Palti shouted, pointing to the tent just as Caleb, Joshua, Moses and Aaron appeared. "Their 'Promised Land' is but a road to death. It is an _evil_ land that doth eat up the inhabitants thereof!"

"They're traitors!" Gaddiel shouted, as he and Gaddi dropped the fruit behind them. "They've led us out into the desert to die!"

"Be of good courage, brothers!" Joshua said. "The **LORD** is surely with us!"

"Yes," Caleb added. "Let us go up and take the land, for with the **LORD** on our side, we are well able to overcome it!"

"Liars!" Ammiel said. "There _is_ no God, only Moses and his staff!"

"They're right!" Sethur said, tearing off his cloak and revealing his wounds. "_This_ is what the giants did to me, but I escaped with my life. Where was their God then?"

"We can't go up against giants!" Gaddi shouted.

"The Promised Land is all a lie!" Nahbi stated. "All that one finds there is death and disorder!"

"Moses and Aaron don't care about you! They don't care about your children! They want to lead your children out into an evil land to be slain by the sons of Anak!" Geuel shouted, pointing at the children and young people gathered around them.

Needless to say, at every imbellished fabrication, the people were getting even more concerned, until the report had spun out of control and rumors abounded that Moses and Aaron were molestors of children and sadists who had led the people out into the wilderness to die and leave their children defenseless. Many were crying, wailing and shouting for Moses and Aaron to be stoned to death, while others were whispering among themselves.

"Are we to die out here for these charlatans?" Korah shouted to the people.

"Better that we had died in Egypt than out here!" Dathan added.

"Or in the desert!" On joined in.

"Why has the **LORD** led us out here?" one doubtful mother cried. "To kill us all and leave our poor children to fend for themselves?"

"The **LORD** wants us all dead!" Abiram stated.

"Let's all hold a vote!" Salmon's jaw dropped as he saw Nashon, his own father, siding with the traitors. "We'll elect a worthy leader and he'll take us back to safety, to the flesh-pots of Egypt!"

This met with a general cheer from the crowd, and cries of "Vote for me!" from anyone with enough desire to lead the people.

"Please!" Caleb interjected, standing up before the people. "The land is a _good_ land. It is indeed a land of promise!"

"The **LORD** surely loves us," Joshua added. "He will doubtless bring us up to possess the Land flowing with Milk and Honey!"

"Liars!"

"Do not rebel against the **LORD** again!" Caleb added, tears flowing from his eyes as he ripped his coat in twain from off his body.

"Deceivers! There _is_ no God!"

"He's right!" Joshua said, tearing off his own coat. "Do not be afraid of the people of the land, for the **LORD** is with us!"

"Murderers!"

"Traitors!"

"Away with the bastards!"

"Stone the blind men!"

Joshua ducked a stone that flew past his head, but Caleb was not so lucky and one struck his shoulder. They backed away, but then suddenly dropped to their knees, covering themselves with dust from the earth. Moses and Aaron looked and saw that the people started cowering away from the direction of the Tabernacle.

The Pillar of Fire burned brightly thereupon.

"Aaron," Moses whispered to his brother. "L-L-Let us go."

* * *

><p>"How long will these people provoke Me unto anger? I have showed them My signs, and they <em>still<em> do not believe!"

Moses had felt the fire of the **LORD** burn hot with rage upon the horns of Sinai, but this seemed to be even worse.

"Behold," He continued. "I will smite them with plagues and disinherit them, and I will make of _you_, Moses, a greater nation, one that will believe in Me and will be mighter!"

"N-N-No, **LORD**!" he cried out, his own voice tiny in comparison. "The p-p-people of Egypt, and of the l-l-l-land before us, they will s-s-s-see Your wrath, and they will not b-b-b-believe that You brought the C-C-C-C-Children of Israel up with Y-Your power! Did You not say, on the horns of Sinai, that Thou art long-suffering and forgiving iniquity and transgression? Please, **LORD**! Show forth Your forgiveness, I pray, upon the people. And let Thy power be great, as You have said."

Once more, silence. Had he gone too far? Would the **LORD** strike Him down for his presumption? Would He carry out what He planned to do to the people of Israel?

"Very well," the Infinite Being responded. "I shall forgive the people of this great transgression. But speak to them now, and let them know that they shall _not_ go unpunished. For even as I pardon transgression, I shall in no wise forgive the unrepentant, but visit their inquity unto their third and fourth generations!"

* * *

><p>Mered, Salmon and Bithiah stood in silence, waiting for Moses and Aaron to return from the Tabernacle. An uneasy air hung heavily upon the camp, as if doom hung just above their heads. At last, one cried out that they were coming. They walked among the people, Moses leaning heavily upon his staff as he spoke to them all.<p>

"Thus sayeth the **LORD**, God of Israel:" Moses began, strength upon his voice as he spoke. "'Because I have shown forth all My marvelous works, from Egypt until now, and you have refused to listen to Me, but rather tempted Me these ten times, **_none_** of you shall ever see the Land of Promise!'" He then turned to the two men closest to the edge of the crowd. "'Only Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun: for they have My spirit in them and have obeyed My word.'"

"As for the rest of you," Moses continued. "As the **LORD** lives, surely you shall **_never_** see the Land of Promise! Your children, from twenty years and younger, whom you feared would be prey to the enemy, _they_ shall inherit the land and know the goodness of the land _you_ have despised. But ****_you!_" He pointed at the adults. "Your carcasses shall fall by the way-side, for you shall surely wander in this wilderness for _**forty years**_, your children bearing the weight of the punishment of your whoredoms, until all the generation that has despised the **LORD** shall be consumed!"

Cries arose from among the people, cries of consternation and of fear. This was even worse than they could have imagined. They were being punished for their evil ways, yet many did not want to admit that they had done wrong. It was God's fault that they were being punished; rather than own up to their own sin, they called Him an angry tyrannt who delighted in seeing them suffer. Only two were humble, only two thanked God that they were to be spared.

Only three were un-angry, yet fearful. Only three embraced themselves with tears. Only Bithiah, Mered and Salmon, these three friends. They wept that they had escaped judgment by that much, that _they_ would see the goodly land and possess it. They wept for those they had loved, for their families and friends over twenty. They would surely die.

Aaron wept as well, for the **LORD** did not excuse him from punishment. Miriam stood in silent sorrow, for it seemed that even she was not safe from this damnation. Of the sons of Amram, only one dared doubt the **LORD**.

Moses knelt down before the Tabernacle, worried. The **LORD** had not excused him from this great purging of the people. He had not joined the rebels, he had not slandered the good land or rebelled against the **LORD.** He was just the messenger: so why was he not excused from the punishment? Why was he not allowed to enter the Promised Land?

Had the **LORD** at last abandoned him?

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Long time for this chapter to get posted, but I've been planning this and Kadesh-Barnea since I first came up with this story and it had to be just perfect)<strong>

**(I hope I've been keeping 'to the book' so far. And I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. There will be many more to come)**

**(About the Philistines, that was based somewhat on Goethe's description: that they care not for anything that is not their own and seek to force everyone else to be like them. After all, a technologically superior war-like nation [as the Philistines were, in relation to their neighbors] would seek to 'naturalize' their neighbors through force. Seems logical enough)  
><strong>


	28. Rebellion

**(AN: I can't believe I messed this up. The incident with Nadab and Abihu happens _before_ they are cursed to wander for forty years, not after. I totally forgot that, please forgive my oversight. I therefore brought it forward so that it would work with what _else_ is going on here. Once again, my bad)**

**(And thank you for reviewing. Yeah, I know that last scene was a little bit of an 'aww' moment, but I'm not that good at writing romances, much less biblical ones. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter, where I've had some elbow room to elaborate and do more than just go by the movements.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Rebellion<strong>

"Another dedication ceremony?" Abihu queried.

"That's what _I_ said!" Nadab returned, after taking a long draught from his cup.

"I mean," Abihu continued. "If we're all going to _die_ out here, what's the point?"

"Point of what?"

"Of rededicating the Tabernacle, of even _bothering_ with that laundry list of rules Uncle Moses and father make us all follow, on pain of death, I might add!"

"Here, give me that jar!" Nadab passed his younger brother the jar of wine, which he drank from directly.

"After all," he said, handing the clay jar back to his brother. "We weren't excluded from Moses' curse, the whole forty years thing."

"I know," Abihu nodded hazily.

"One way or the other, we're gonna die, you and I, brother. Better to die…happy, disobeying those damn rules and having fun than at the next plague or calamity that Moses is going to bring us into."

The other nodded, and they continued their drinking with reckless abandon.

They were later called back to the Tabernacle for the dedication ceremony. Once they placed the incense in their censers and passed through into the Holy Place, there was a sudden flash of fire…and the sound of two bodies hitting the floor sounded later.

"Oh, God save us!" Aaron sighed, turning to Moses. "What's happened?"

"Your sons are dead," Moses said. "They have p-pr-profaned the Holy Place. For the **LORD** has said: 'I shall be sanctified in those that come nigh to Me, and glorified before all the people.' But your s-s-s-s-sons have done foolishly by offering strange fire before the **LORD**!"

"Not my sons!" Aaron wept. "Not my sons!"

"Silence!" Moses shouted. "Do not weep for them, for it would be condoning their evil." He turned to his brother and placed his hands on his shoulders.

"I know this is t-t-t-tragic, but you must be strong. You and your sons must not remove your ephods or tear your garments."

Aaron nodded. "What must I do?"

"Your uncle has t-t-two sons," Moses continued. "Mishael and Elzaphan. Bring them here, and have them carry out Nadab and Abihu from out of the presence of the **LORD**."

The old man nodded meekly, then shuffled away, trying hard to suppress his grief.

From the side of the outer court, one of the sons of Kohath watched the proceedings with great interest, with profound disgust and with a calculated mind.

The time had come to strike.

* * *

><p>"Friends, brothers, good people of Israel," Korah, son of Izhar and grandson of Kohath, said to those gathered in the large tent later that evening. He walked around them, those who were close to him and those others who had heeded the call: his comrades in the tribe of Reuben, Dathan, On and Abiram, and two hundred and fifty others.<p>

"Listen to what I say," Korah continued. "Just this morning, at the dedication of the Tabernacle, Aaron's two sons were killed. Of course, Moses invented some cock-n-bull story that they had offered 'strange fire' before the "**LORD**", whatever _that_ means. I specifically saw Moses giving directions to Aaron's third son Eleazar. You know what this means, surely?"

Scattered murmurs echoed through the gathering.

"It means," Korah stated. "That Moses intends to pass the title of High Priest on to a boy, not even twenty years of age! And his reign of tyranny shall increase and know no end until we are all consumed!"

"Hear hear!" exclaimed Dathan. Several others returned the statement.

"I've gathered you here," Korah said. "Two hundred and fifty respected members of the congregation, because you all believe as I do: that Moses, not this phantom God of his, has led us out into the wilderness to die. He _must_ be stopped!"

Cries of "aye!" and "hear here!" echoed through the tent.

"And we are the ones to stop him." Korah said.

"Why, Rabbi Korah?" a young voice asked. "Is not the **LORD** God with us? Has not He appointed Moses as our leader?"

Korah walked over to the side of Judah, where Nashon and his son Salmon stood, listening intently to the discussion.

"Nashon, my old friend," Korah said to Salmon's father. "You'll kindly restrain your brat from speaking out in a court of men!"

Salmon looked at them, and then walked out of the tent. Nashon remained.

"As I was saying, before I was so _rudely_ interrupted," Korah continued. "Something must be done about this tyrant Moses and his lies. It has not been several months since the incident at Paran." Some murmuring echoed through the tent.

"The ten honest spies were slain by some mysterious plague, and then after that, we were routed when we earnestly tried to take the so-called 'Promised Land.' Thousands slaughtered because we were determined to take what was ours by force! Moses declared quite plainly that his rule will see us all rot in the desert!

"By what fault of ours are we doomed to die? We've done nothing wrong, and yet Moses forces a hard dictatorship upon us, where even if we _think_ about questioning his rule, we are condemned to death! All the evil that has happened on this death march is the fault of Moses and his ilk!"

He then stood before them all, hands spread open.

"Let me lead you, my good people." He said. "I will lead you back to a land of plenty. For I ask you this; when was life harder than here in the desert, and when was life easier than back at the fleshpots of Egypt?"

Cheers came up from one and all.

"Tomorrow," he said. "When I go up before Moses and Aaron, can I count on your support? Will you stand by me, oppose tyranny and speak out in defense of _free_will and _freedom_?"

It sounded like an army cheering for certain victory in that tent.

* * *

><p>In the tent of Judah, Salmon waited angrily for the return of his father.<p>

"I can't believe he would do this!" he exclaimed to Mered and Bithiah, who sat nearby. "It's bad enough that I will have to see my own father die before I do myself, but to have him take up arms against Moses! We've seen the hand of the **LORD**, haven't we?"

"Yes, we have." Mered returned.

He shook his head, turned about and saw the tent door open and the face of Nashon in the door. He dismissed Mered and Bithiah, then turned angrily toward his son.

"How dare you speak to Korah with such foolish presumption!"

"But he is wrong!"

"Wrong? So it's _wrong_ to care about the safety of our people? It's _wrong_ to want to see us free at last, to see us in peace and safety, to have us fed and watered without having to come crawling before that traitor Moses? That's wrong, is it?"

"You're disobeying the **LORD**, father!"

"Son," Nashon turned to his son, calming down a little. "Listen to me: one day you will lead the people of Judah. When that day comes, you will understand, as I do now, that you cannot put your trust in dreams and ghostly fears."

"But the **LORD**…"

"When you have the responsibility of tens of thousands on _your_ hands, my son, you will put your principles and your beliefs aside for the greater good of the people, or else you will not last long as the lord of Judah."

Nashon dismissed his son, then went off to sleep. Salmon was heavy of heart as he walked outside the tent and fell asleep near the camp-fire.

* * *

><p>When morning came at last, Moses and Aaron found themselves confronted by a small band of lords, led by none other than one of their own number: Korah son of Izhar, of the Kohathites.<p>

"We're gathered against you, Moses!" he shouted, at which the others cheered in agreement.

"For what purpose?" Aaron asked. Dathan, On and Abiram pushed Aaron aside and walked off, while Korah stood before Moses.

"You take too much upon yourself, old man!" Korah said. "Is not your God in the midst of this congregation, and are we not all good, holy people? By whose authority to you raise yourself over the rest of us?"

Moses fell down to the ground on his knees. At this Korah smiled and turned to his associates.

"See?" he queried. "If his God were real, would he really be so weak?"

They laughed in mockery, but Moses was no longer listening. Someone else was speaking to him.

"It is _you _who takes too much upon yourself, son of Levi." Moses said as he rose up slowly from off the ground. "Is it not enough that the **LORD** has raised you yourselves above all the tribes of Israel, by consecrating you unto His service? He has brought you close unto Him, you and all your brethren, and yet you seek the priesthood _also_?"

Korah remained unmoved.

"Tomorrow," Moses said. "You and your brethren take incense and burn it before the **LORD**: He shall choose who are indeed His and show whom He has called." He then looked over at Dathan, On and Abiram, who looked upon Moses with hate.

"Will you not come forth and do as your leader?" he asked.

"No!" Dathan said. "It is not enough that you've led us out here into the wilderness to die?"

"Not just that, but you've made yourself a _prince_ and _judge_ over us!" Abiram returned.

"You've showed us _no_ such land filled with milk and honey!" On shouted in defiance. "Only death and misery!"

"We will not be at your beck and call as your servants, worker of evil!" Dathan concluded.

The crowds slowly dispersed, save for Korah.

"You shall be there on the m-m-morrow?" Moses asked.

"I will be there." he returned.

"So be it."

* * *

><p>In the morning, the two hundred and fifty rebels were gathered out in front of the Tabernacle, along with a great company of the people of Israel. Dathan, On and Abiram had refused to come and sat instead in their own tents, eating and drinking as if nothing was going on. Korah and his associates were burning incense at the door of the Tabernacle when suddenly Moses appeared, his veil removed and his face shining like the sun.<p>

"Get away from these wicked men!" he shouted, strength in his voice. "Touch nothing of theirs or you shall be consumed by their evil!"

A large group of people started moving away from Korah. Even the two hundred and fifty rebels took a step back. From the nearby camp of Reuben, Dathan, On and Abiram stood out in their tent-doors. On the other side of the camp, Korah's wife and her children walked towards the rest of the people.

"Not you too!" Korah shouted. "Woman, you betray me even now? Get back to my tent and leave my children alone! I forbid you to go over..."

But the deed was done. From the camp of Reuben, On turned to Dathan and Abiram and then took his family and joined the rest of the congregation.

"That you may know," Moses said slowly, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "That the **LORD** has sent me, and that all that I have done has been through His power and not mine: behold, if these..." He pointed to Korah, then to Dathan and Abiram. "...shall die by natural ways, whether by sickness or by the sword, then I have not been sent by the **LORD**. But should the **LORD** command the very earth to open her mouth and swallow them up and all that pertains to them, then you shall _know_ that it was the **_LORD_** that these men have provoked!"

The earth shook violently, even as they stood about. Cries of alarm echoed up from the people. Cracks formed in the ground, and two tents from the camp of Reuben disappeared, with all that stood before them. Another crack appeared and Korah's tent was swallowed up. Suddenly there came forth another breach, violent and hard, the very earth trembling, and Korah vanished from before the face of the people.

Suddenly, flashes of fire shot down from the Pillar of Cloud. More cries arose as the two hundred and fifty rebels were incinerated one by one where they stood.

When all was quiet at last, the cracks in the earth gone and nothing left of the rebellion by piles of ash, the people gathered in an angry mob around the Tabernacle.

"Murderers!" On shouted. "They have killed good men!"

"They were men of God! They told us what we wanted to hear!"

"Butchers! Stone him to death!"

"You have killed men of God!"

As suddenly as they had arrived, they were thrown back, cowering in fear and crying out again as if stricken. All about the congregation, people cried out in pain: fourteen thousand and seven hundred afflicted. Moses summoned Aaron to him and whispered instructions to him.

Among the congregation, three of the people of Judah stood in silence, unafflicted by the plague, as they realized what had happened.

"My lord!" Mered exclaimed, turning to Salmon.

He bowed, and Bithiah with him. He realized then what had happened. His father had joined with the rebels and had paid for his rebellion against the **LORD** with his life.

Now he, Salmon, was prince of Judah.

* * *

><p>The next day, Moses surveyed the damage. Fourteen thousand seven hundred dead, apart from the two hundred and fifty rebels and Korah, Dathan and Abiram, along with the families of the latter two. Even though He knew the <strong>LORD<strong> had spoken to him, had heard the Voice as clear as upon Sinai, he began to doubt. The words of the rebels had sunk into his heart.

Had he really led the people out to their utter ruin? Every turn, they were being punished for their sins with great vengeance. What was he even _doing_ out here anymore? Just leading the people in circles for the next forty years, until everyone was dead...

Until even he was dead?

"Aaron," he said to his brother. "T-The **LORD** has spoken: take the rods of the p-p-p-princes of the tribes of Israel, and have them write their names upon the staves, and they shall be placed b-b-b-before the Ark of the Covenant."

"Who shall be for the tribe of Levi, brother?" Aaron asked.

"You will." he returned.

"Me? But why?"

"The **LORD** shall see an end to these rebellious murmurings." he said at last. "He shall s-show proof, final and in-d-d-d-disputable proof, of whom He has chosen."

"It shall be done, brother." Aaron then stopped, and turned back to Moses. "Uh, what will be the sign of the **LORD**'s choosing?"

"The one that buds," Moses said. "Is the one He has c-chosen."

He nodded, then departed. Moses sighed, hoping that this, at last, would bring an end to the rebellion, an end to all the punishments upon the people.

Maybe...at last...

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: The ending may have been a bit rushed, but there will definitely be more and better chapters later on. Maybe two more chapters then I will skip ahead some forty years towards the tale end and have that explicated. I'm definitely going to do the wedding of Mered and Bithiah, perhaps have some more flash-backs of older <em>Bereshith<em> tales [aka. Genesis], where they be relevant, of course.)**

**(Stay tuned for more)**


	29. Found Out

**(AN:/)**

* * *

><p><strong>Found Out<strong>

Moses stood outside the camp one night. The moon was hidden, and the only light that illuminated the camp was that of the Pillar of Fire coming from the Tabernacle. There was a lot on this leader's mind.

It had been a simple enough task: daunting and seemingly impossible, but quite simple. Lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, follow the **LORD**'s instructions, and come to the Land of Promise. Pharaoh never stood a chance.

But it suddenly became more complicated that day after the Red Sea. The Children of Israel seemed _determined_ to disobey God at _every_ turn. Even worse, no matter what punishments were rained down upon them or how many people died by reason of their disobedience, they retained their stiff-lipped defiance of the **LORD** God.

He had remained steadfast through the whole ordeal, even begging God to blot him out rather than to destroy all the people. But here, at the plain of Kadesh, just south of Paran, where they had just recently been rejected and damned to wander in the wilderness for forty years, Moses' resolve was weakening.

He had served the **LORD** faithfully, yet no exemption from the punishment, which, as of yet, only Caleb and Joshua would be escaping, had been made for him.

Just then, he heard a voice calling out his name. Turning around, he saw Elishebah running up to meet him.

"W-What is it?" he asked.

"It's Miriam!" she panted. Moses' face blanched. His sister had collapsed during the heat of the day and spent the rest of the day in her tent. Had something worse happened to her?

Without another word, he picked up his staff and followed his sister-in-law to Miriam's tent. There he saw Aaron, looking particularly old and feeble, and the young Eleazar and his younger brother Ithamar. They were waiting outside the tent. Elishebah then took Moses and her husband Aaron inside, where they knelt down on either side of their sister.

"Moses?" she sighed, seeing the swathed face of her brother. "I...I'm sorry, brother. Sorry for everything."

"Miriam, p-p-please," he stammered. "Don't exhaust yourself."

"No," she shook her head. "I know my time has come."

"Don't say things like that!" Aaron added.

"I know now," she said, turning to Moses, her hand reaching up to rest on his shoulder. "I know now why the **LORD** did not allow me...to enter the Promised Land. He saw my weakness, my age, my frailty, and looked upon me with compassion."

"B-B-But..."

"No, it's true. Better that I die here in peace than wear my old bones out for _forty_ years!" she chuckled, then covered her mouth with her sleeve as she coughed.

"I need you, Miriam!" Moses whispered. "We n-n-need you!"

Miriam simply sighed and rested her head on the roll. Aaron tried to stir her, but she did not move. Moses did not have to ask, for he knew.

She was dead.

* * *

><p>Kadesh seemed like any other place they had visited. Dry and arid. The people, typically, were back and about complaining. The news of Miriam's death soon spread through the camp and concerned whispers about where they would find water were suddenly echoing through the camp.<p>

Moses and Aaron, the last two of the sons of Amram, the leading members of the Children of Israel, stood outside the Tabernacle.

"What sh-sh-shall we do?" Moses asked. "The p-p-people, they grow impatient for the lack of w-w-water!"

"Assemble the congregation," the voice of the **LORD** spoke. "Then take your staff and Aaron and stand before the rock that I shall show you. Speak unto the rock before the congregation and it shall bring forth water for them all to drink."

Moses nodded, then stood up, staff in hand and Aaron at his side. They passed through the doors of the tent and walked through the midst of the angry mob of the people.

"Why have you led us to this place to die?"

"This is no land of milk and honey!"

"Better that we had died with our brethren!"

"Murderers! Traitors!"

Moses had quite enough. They were getting to be too much to bear. Almost a million people all on his shoulders, and, to all appearances, the **LORD** had left him at the fickle mercies of the people of Israel.

There was the rock, a tall thing standing before the people. Moses stood to one side, his eyes brimming with anger beneath his veil. Next to him stood Aaron, waiting for orders.

Just then, a stone, thrown from the crowds, struck Moses' feet.

"Hear now, rebels!" Moses shouted. "Must _we_ fetch water for you from this rock?"

"Who led us out here to die?" one bit back.

"You're the leader, save us!"

"You led us into the desert to starve to death, _you_ should get us out of this!"

Aaron said nothing, no rebukes, nothing to vindicate the name of the **LORD** or His place as their leader. It seemed he had no problem letting his brother take all the credit for leading them, when he knew, just as Moses knew, and just as Caleb and Joshua knew...

It was **YHWH** who was leading them.

"You want water?" Moses shouted at the people.

"No, we'd rather die of thirst out here!" one sarcastically returned. "You promised us a land of plenty: a land of seed, vines, figs and pomegranates. And what have you given us? Death and starvation out here in this wasteland!"

He had had enough. With a loud shout, he rose his staff and broke it upon the rock.

The complaining stopped when the water burst forth from the body of the rock. Now they were clawing over themselves to be the first one to drink from the newly formed pool of water.

Moses, however, was looking out towards the Tabernacle.

"**I AM** most displeased with what you have done." the **LORD** said to him.

"B-But I did what You asked!" Moses said. "I gave them water..."

"I told you to _speak_ to the rock, not break it!" the Creator stated. "By your disobedience, you cast your lot in with the people."

"B-But..."

"Moreover, by your words and actions, you have deceived the people into believing that it was by _your_ power, not Mine, that the people of Israel were delivered out of Egypt and brought through the wilderness. By your example, you have led the people into even greater sin."

Moses placed his hands upon his face and fell to the ground.

"Please, my **LORD**! Have mercy on Your humble servant!"

Silence...

"I forgive you," the **LORD** said. "But the damage is done, and because you have misled the people, I will not allow you to lead them into the Land of Promise. Nor your brother Aaron."

"Aaron?" Moses asked. "B-But why not he?"

"By his silence, he gave credence to your lies, and therefore is as much to blame as you are."

Moses did not feel much better, but at least he knew now that the **LORD** had not abandoned him. He never had. In Moses' mind, he reasoned that, as the **LORD** had seen fit to call Miriam into her rest by reason of her advanced age, so He had seen that Moses would do this and therefore did not leave him out of the curse made at Paran.

_One way or another_, he thought, thinking of a certain story. _Your sins will find you out_.

* * *

><p>"Where is he?"<p>

"Who?"

"Your brother."

"How should I know? Am I my brother's keeper?"

Silence.

"What have you done?" the **LORD** asked, horror in His voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the earth. Verily, you shall now be cursed among all those of the earth. When you till the ground, it will not yield up its increase to you: throughout the world you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond!"

"No, **LORD**!" he cried out, falling to his knees. "It's too much! I'll be driven out and anyone who finds me will surely kill me."

Silence, then a sudden roar of sound.

"I have marked you, that none may kill you. For surely, whosoever slayeth Cain the son of Adam, vengeance shall be taken upon him sevenfold!"

* * *

><p>Was there hope, even for him, after all that had happened?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: A little flash-back to the story of Cain, and a reference to the band <em>Avenged Sevenfold<em>. Just like with _Joshua_, there will be references where approrpriate. So far, they've just been _Ten Commandments_ or _Prince of Egypt_ ones. There may be more if I can think of them.)**

**(The reference to Cain ties in with what happened before, in the prologues. Also, it allows Moses to carry on in the hope that, if JEHOVAH showed mercy even to Cain, then there is mercy enough even for him. This helps him to carry on for the next several years.)**


	30. Friends Forever

**(AN: Here is another two stories molded into one. Also, my timeline is a bit different than what is considered 'official.' It seems that most consider Kadesh-Barnea to have happened at the _very_ end of the tale, as I myself once believed. However, due to its place in the narrative, I'm inclined to believe it happened _then_, rather than at the very end [since it could not have happened at the _very_ end since Aaron was still alive at the time, and he didn't make it to the end].)**

**(I've tried to keep to tradition with the wedding, though some details have been altered since this predates the foundation of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, as well as the destruction of Jerusalem [so no breaking of the glass]).**

* * *

><p><strong>Friends Forever<strong>

A week had passed since Mered had seen Bithiah. He and Salmon were on opposite sides of the camp of Judah, going through the various ceremonies that would eventually mark this day in their lives as one of the most important.

Today, Mered and Bithiah would at last be married.

Mered, dressed as a prince, was led out of his side of the camp towards the Tabernacle. With him was Prince Salmon, Bezaleel and many others who were friends of Mered and the Tribe of Judah. Mered's parents were with him, while Bithiah was being led by Caleb.

At the front of the Tabernacle, a four-sided tent had been erected with no walls. Standing beneath there, or rather sitting there, was Aaron the High Priest. At his side was the young Eleazar, with his staff in his hand. Aaron had no staff, for once it had budded, it was placed in the Holiest of Holy Places, in the Ark, as an immutable sign of the **LORD**'s selection of him over the rebels. Aaron looked quite worse for the ware: age clung heavily to his shoulders.

As Mered and Bithiah appeared before them, Eleazar helped his aged father up to his feet then placed his staff under his father's hand and helped him stand before the couple. Once done, he stood behind his father and held up his hands, both of which were up-held, palms open and fingers spread apart in the shape of a V.

"Blessed art thou," Aaron began. "O **LORD** our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine."

"Amen!"

"Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the Universe, who created man in Your own image."

"Amen!"

"Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the Universe, who gives joy to the bride and the groom."

"Amen!"

"Grant perfect joy to these loving companions, as You did unto Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden."

"Amen!"

"And Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the Universe, who created joy, gladness, groom and bride, song, delight, dancing and rejoicing, love and harmony, peace and companionship. **LORD**, our God, may there ever be heard voices of joy and gladness, of the bride and groom, the jubilant voices of those joined in marriage beneath the _chuppah_: the voices of young people feasting and singing. Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God, King of the Universe, who causes the groom to rejoice with his bride."

"Amen!"

Aaron's old hands then lowered, trembling as they went.

"Do you have a token to give to the groom?" he asked Mered.

"Yes, Rabbi." Mered returned. He produced the ring, which Bezaleel the craftsman had forged for him: pure and unadorned. With this in hand, he turned to the veiled Bithiah.

"Behold, you are betrothed unto me with this ring, according to the Law of Moses and of Israel."

With this, he placed the ring upon Bithiah's fore-finger.

"Behold!" Aaron began. "What God has joined, let no man rent asunder!" Aaron then lifted his hands, in the same gesture as before, above them, with the help of the young Eliezar. "_May the **LORD** bless and keep you! May the **LORD** make His face shine upon you graciously! May the **LORD** lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace!_"

"Amen!"

After this, Aaron began the reading of the marriage contract. Once done, he presented this to them, which they both signed. This done, they were led aside to a tent prepared for them to remain alone with for a moment. Afterward, the feasting would soon take place and all would be merry.

Salmon watched as Mered and his new bride departed, then saw the young Eleazar, who could not have been much older than he was, join him.

"My lord," he said. "You must be happy to see your friend come to such good fortune."

"Yes, I am." Salmon returned. "I only wish father could have been here."

Eleazar then walked close and gave Salmon a nudge on the shoulder.

"And what about the prince of Judah?" he asked. "Is there not a woman of the congregation who catches your eye?"

"I don't know," Salmon said. "I suppose if the **LORD** has it that I will marry, He will bring one in my path who is right for me."

"Now, if you will excuse me," Eleazar said. "I have to see to my father." A look of sorrow was etched across his face. "He's not as young as he used to be, nor as strong."

"Don't say that," Salmon said. "I mean, not just for the sake of the day, but, truly, he's from noble stock, isn't he? The children of Amram do not grow feeble, but stronger with age."

"So they say."

Later that day, as the feasting and wedding celebration were well under way in the camp of Judah, Aaron and Eleazar sat by the Tabernacle, making sure everything was in working order. They were then joined by the shrouded figure of Moses, coming down from the nearby mountain of Hor.

"Moses?" Eleazar asked. "What does the **LORD** command?"

"Aaron," Moses said. Eleazar noted that his uncle's voice was weak, almost frail. He had never known him to sound as such: he was always the strong one. "Brother." He placed his hand on Aaron's shoulder, trying hard to maintain his composure.

"Come with me."

"Where?" Aaron wheezed.

"To the mountain."

Aaron chuckled. "B-But I'm an old man!"

"Eleazar will help you," Moses assured him. "Just c-c-come."

* * *

><p>From the top of mount Hor, the plains and hills of Edom, the kingdom of Esau, stretched out for miles and miles. They had not been allowed passage through that land, though Moses had promised the Edomite King that the people would take no plunder or anything that was not theirs.<p>

Now they stood upon the brink of the mountain, Eleazar sheltering his aged father with his cloak from the howling wind, while Moses, still resolute, walked onward, toward a flat place near the summit of the mountain.

"Here we are!" Moses said. Turning back to his brother and his nephew. "Eleazar!"

"Yes, uncle!"

"Help your father remove the ephod and his priestly garments!"

"Why?"

"Because," Moses returned, sighing heavily as the realization returned to him. "The **LORD** has commanded: Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, for he shall not enter the land of Promise."

"No!" Eleazar shook his head, guessing what was being said. "No, it can't be!"

"Eleazar, please!"

"He's my father!"

"He is also the **LORD**'s servant, just as I am, and just as you are." Moses walked over to Eleazar and stood before him. "Believe me, my nephew, I am as heart-broken as you are." He stepped back. "But the will of the **LORD** must be obeyed." He then placed his arm around Aaron.

With trembling hands, Eleazar began to remove first the ephod, then the rest of the garments, till Aaron was clad in the robes he had worn before being installed: namely, a one-piece under-garment.

"Lie down, brother," Moses said, tears streaming beneath his veil. "Be g-gathered unto the people."

The old man nodded, and slowly reclined against the rocks. The wind blew his white hair and beard about, but he simply came to rest, sighing peacefully. There was a moment of quiet, where even the wind came to a halt, then Aaron was no more.

Eleazar stared on at the form of his dead father, while Moses, alone at last of all those who were his family, fell to his knees, gripping the Levite garment that hung heavily upon his shoulders.

"Aaron! My brother!" he wept. "Alas, the pillar of supplication is gone from out of Israel!"

Slowly, the young High Priest walked over to his uncle and helped him up to his feet. His staff was gone, broken upon the rocks of Kadesh-Barnea, the 'waters of strife'. Yet only grief kept Moses down, for he was as strong then as he had been when he left Egypt.

When they at last came down, any sign of joy slowly departed as they learned that Aaron, the High Priest of Israel, was dead.

* * *

><p>"Where is Bezaleel?" Moses shouted, running through the camp of Judah. It was not enough that the people were unhappy with his leadership, blaming it all on him rather than God, the <em>true<em> Deliverer, but now they scorned His sustenance. _Our souls loathe this mana!_ was said with hate at the food that had ceaselessly poured down from Heaven upon them.

Well, now they had snakes. Snakes whose venom burned like fire, causing the people to die painfully. Now, of course, they were begging to be saved, saying "We have sinned against the **LORD**!" Quite easier, it seemed, to run to the **LORD** in time of trouble, than to depend on Him in time of plenty.

"Here I am!" the craftsman said. He had his staff in hand, hoping in vain to strike at the nearest serpent before it strike him.

"C-Come here," he said. "Build a serpent of brass, in the likeness of those that afflict the people. Then p-p-place it on a pole on a hill outside the camp."

"As you wish!"

Bezaleel went off to his smithy, while the young woman who had been looking for Moses ran back to the tent of the lord of Judah. Pushing the tent aside, she found Mered and Caleb kneeling beside a very sick-looking Salmon.

He had fallen prey to the fiery serpents.

"Well?" Mered asked. "Do you have any news?"

"He was here," Bithiah said. "But he's gone. Something about a hill outside the camp."

"Who should go to see what it is?" Mered asked.

"I'll go," Caleb said. "You and your beloved should remain here, at Salmon's side."

"Let me go!" Mered volunteered.

"No!" Bithiah returned.

"I've been waiting to do something, ever since I wasn't allowed to join the fight against King Arad." he said. "Let me go and risk my life for the life of my friend!"

"That rule of the Torah applies to hard work as well," Caleb said. Just then, the rug of the tent squirmed. Taking up his staff, he drove it at the slithering shape until it disappeared.

"And fighting off these snakes seems quite the trial!"

"The more we wait, the closer Salmon moves to death!" Bithiah cried. "If neither of you can go, then I will go."

"But you'll be killed!"

"I haven't griped against the **LORD**," she said. "I think there might be a chance."

"No, Bithiah, wait!"

But she wasn't waiting. Amid cries of torment and the hissing of snakes, she ran through the camp of Judah, toward the high hill, which sat nearby that camp. She had to do something: Salmon was a friend of her as well as of her husband. He was also the prince of Judah, and had no heir. Something _had_ to be done.

She ran up the side of the hill and came to a halt at Moses' feet.

"Moses!" she panted. "What shall become of us? Will the **LORD** save us from these serpents?"

He turned to her and nodded.

"The **L-LORD **has commanded," he said. "That a b-b-brazen serpent be raised up upon this hill. Anyone who has b-b-b-been bitten by the serpents need only l-l-look upon this symbol of brass, and t-t-t-they will be saved."

She nodded, then turned back towards the camp of Judah. It might have seemed far-fetched, but she had seen many miracles and this did not seem quite far-fetched compared to the other miracles which had been accomplished quite easily.

She had faith that it would work. There was no other option.

Back into the tent of Salmon she went, throwing the door-flap open as she fell down at the door. Caleb walked over and brought her to her feet.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's not going to make it." Mered sighed. "Oh, woe is Judah!"

"No!" she panted. "He's not going to die here!" She turned to Mered. "My love, help me carry him to the hill outside the camp."

He took Salmon under his arms and Bithiah joined in, and the two of them lifted him up and carried him out of the tent.

"Caleb, help us!" she said.

"How?"

"Hold off the snakes!" Mered said. "Woe betide us if one of them should bite us before Salmon can reach the hill."

"Right away!"

Though he knew not why or what, Mered helped Bithiah carry his friend out of the tent and through their camp. For either of them, he, Mered son of Ezra, would give up his life willingly. Caleb, with his strong faith, kept the way clear as the two others bore their friend towards the hill, towards salvation.

At the hill, Bezaleel had provided Moses with the serpent of brass, fashioned as if wrapped around the pole. Moses took the pole, raised it up high so that all may see, and placed it firmly in the ground.

"Come forth," he shouted, the hand of the **LORD** keeping his voice strong. "And be saved!"

One by one, the people were coming out to behold the strange sight of the brazen serpent. Caleb led his companions through to the bottom of the hill, where they all but collapsed from exhaustion. It had been a hard jog, and their hearts raced even faster with the sight of serpents that seemed to jump out of everywhere, even out of the sand, at them.

Salmon slumped weakly between them, his head fallen toward the ground.

"Help him to see the serpent!" Caleb ordered.

Mered and Bithiah lifted up Salmon's head, urging and begging him to open his eyes, if only for a moment.

Slowly, his eyelids opened, the sight of the serpent upon the pole ominous with the sun gathered behind it. He began breathing easier, the deadly venom gone from out of him without any more sign of its presence.

The two on each side of prince Salmon embraced him, sobbing and cheering without care. Their friend had been brought back from the brink of death by something that seemed almost an impossibility. Surely if it could work for them, it could work for the others. They had to tell everyone, to save the people of the camp.

Salmon got to his feet slowly, being aided by Caleb, and walked after Mered and Bithiah who ran down the hill to inform the others of this great deed.

"You should thank the **LORD** always, my prince," he said. "For such fine friends as Mered and Bithiah."

_Indeed_, he thought. _It's not every day you get to have someone who will give their lives to save you_.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Corny title, I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I think it will be the last of the 'first generation' of Israelites [still not done with this story]).<strong>

**(I may have twisted some of the facts. I brought back Bezaleel for the wedding, and therefore decided to use him as the smith who forged the brazen serpent, rather than Moses. Yes, the whole Brazen Serpent scene might have some influence from the New Testament. Hope it did not take away too much from the story.)**

**(Now I've got a whole new bit of research to do for the _next_ several chapters of the story. You'll definitely see some new faces, some you might not have expected to see in this part of the story. I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far, because now that our nation has a Torah and a people, they now need a land to call their own...)**


	31. A Smart Ass

**(AN: I wonder if I can get away with this chapter title. [lol]. You can obviously guess what is going to happen. Like I've done before, I've split this one in twain. I think I might be able to, since the rule is that the story title and summary must be K-rated, not the chapter titles. Just saying what the guidelines said.)**

**(And Mered does something rather bad, at least in _our_ understanding of the word. If you want to view him as a wholesome character, you can say that maybe Bithiah died and he remarried. But I decided against that, since I wanted to make him at least a _little_ human, who makes mistakes and such. Besides, as heinous as it sounds today in our society, polygamy wasn't that big of a deal back then. Think of it pragmatically: you live in a time where you make your own food, you repair your own tents, you keep yourself safe and do all the work to keep yourself alive. If you're too poor to afford servants, many children is the obvious answer.)**

**(I'm not defending modern polygamy, I'm just saying that, in the context of the time, it would have been an option if you need many children and your wife can't bear anymore.)**

**(For the cut-scene, I'm wondering who I would imagine as Sarah. Part of me is leaning towards Ava Gardner [from _The Bible_ movie], even though she's dead, but another part of me is thinking Maria Doyle Kennedy [Katherine of Aragon for you _Tudors_ fans], even though she's Irish and I've already said that, as I imagine this as an epic movie, the characters would be played by ethnically Jewish actors and actresses.)**

**(Enough of this, enjoy this consecutive two-parter.)**

* * *

><p><strong>A Smart Ass<strong>

_Part One - It is Time_

Forty years. A generation of rebels had passed away. Their children were nearly the oldest members of the congregation: not exactly the elders, for there were only three older than everyone else.

Moses son of Amram, Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

Even the children of the first generation had grown into old age, and their own children were now of age and had married and produced a fourth generation, after that one that had seen the crossing of the Red Sea. They had known countless victories and many defeats as well. People of the land of Canaan were starting to fear them. In _their_ cities, kings came and went, generations grew old and died, new ones came forth, children were born, cities rose and fell, and kingdoms exchanged hands…

But the Israelites were still there.

* * *

><p>"And so we walked through the sea on dry ground!" Bithiah said to her captive audience. Many of them were young children, between three and twelve, but some others were there.<p>

They all exclaimed in surprise.

"It took us the rest of the night to get across the sea," she continued. "But the **LORD** was with us, and kept the waves back all that night until every last one of us were on the other side.

"Then, the Pharaoh and his soldiers rushed through the sea after us, with the intent to destroy our people!"

"Were you afraid?" one of the younger ones asked.

"Yes," Bithiah said. "We all were very afraid. For it seemed that the very hand that was keeping the sea open for us was also keeping it open for our enemies!"

"But the **LORD** was still with us," her husband, Mered, said as he joined the little circle. "Once we were all safely on the other side, the waves came crashing down and covered the Egyptians. And Moses' promise came true: we never saw them again."

They cheered, and Bithiah then dismissed them to go off to their chores, or back to their parents.

"I'm impressed!" Mered said. "You know that story as well as I do."

"Well, we _did_ live through it, my love." She returned.

"Yes," Mered said, with a sigh on his lips.

* * *

><p>That evening, they were all having dinner: Mered, Bithiah, and their children and grandchildren, as well as some of their friends.<p>

"Blessed art thou, O **LORD** our God," Mered prayed. "King of the Universe, who gives to us bread from the earth."

"Amen!"

Not from the earth, for it was still mana. Loathed by many, loved by others, it still sustained them through all their travels.

"Father?"

"Yes, Shammai?" Mered returned to his eldest but one.

"When will _we_ finally get to see the Land of Promise?"

"After forty years," Bithiah said.

"Hasn't it been that long already?" their eldest child, named after Moses' sister, queried.

"Perhaps," Mered said. "But remember, Moses speaks directly with God, and when He is ready to send us home, He will tell Moses, and then Moses will tell us."

"It seems that we should have already been in the Land of Promise by now!"

"Now, Heber," Mered said to his sixth child, named after the ancestor of the Hebrews. "We must not question the will of the **LORD**. That's what got us into this mess in the first place."

"How?" Elimelech, a distant nephew to Salmon, queried.

"When our fathers, _your_ fathers' fathers, were at the wilderness of Paran, they believed the word of the ten spies, rather than that of Caleb and Joshua. For that, they questioned the will of the **LORD** and sought to stone those who believed in Him. It is for that cause, young man, that we have been tried in the crucible these forty years."

"But when will our time be _done_?" Ishbah, Caleb's third-born yet second son, asked.

"Soon, my son, very soon," he sighed again, as if in some painful memory. "Still, we must have faith in the **LORD**."

_Like I have anywhere to speak_, he thought. _I am as guilty as Abraham._

* * *

><p>He was not as young as he had once been. Even when he first left Ur, he was still beyond the age of 'maturity', and leaning towards old age. Now he was a great sheik, a warrior-king blessed by <strong>JEHOVAH<strong> in all things…

Except the one thing that had mattered.

The young girl approached him and knelt before him. She was beautiful, this Egyptian servant, so very beautiful…

"My lord," she said. "My mistress has asked to see you in her tent."

He nodded, then turned away and followed her to the tent that was nearest to his own. Most Bedouin families lived together, but he was rich enough that he could give her, his wife, a tent all to her own.

He stepped inside and sat down within the dark recesses of the tent. Sarah was there: even in her age, she bore some semblance of the young woman he had fallen in love with, the one he cherished above all things save God.

Perhaps even more?

"My lord," she said. Her voice was deep and sorrowful. "It has been a year since my bleeding as stopped."

He nodded. This was indeed a moment of sadness.

"The **LORD** has denied me the blessing of a child in my youth," she said. "And now, even if I were not barren, I…" She was crying. "I cannot be to you as a wife should be!"

"My love," he placed his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "Is it not enough that I love you? That, in spite of your barrenness, I have not forsaken you or cast you aside, or ever deemed you as less than what you are?"

"I would that I could give you a child!" Sarah continued. He held her in his arms, and she continued to sob, quietly now but still heart-wrenchingly painful as ever.

"The **LORD** has promised to give me a son," he said. "And I believe that promise will be fulfilled."

"But not through me," Sarah shook her head. He thought he saw a spasm of pain etch its way across her face.

"My maid-servant," she said at last. "She is young, and healthy, and still bleeds every month."

"No, I couldn't…"

"Please, my darling," she took him in her arms. "Believe me, this hurts _me_ more than it may hurt you: but I will not blame you for doing it." She turned her face away. "It must be done. It is the only way."

The only way. But a dangerous way. Polygamy was practiced by kings, yet it made their lives endlessly rigorous. Civil wars were started by jaded wives who wished their sons to be the ruling prince. Even among those of lesser status, eternal strife and jealousy was not totally ruled out. It still felt wrong, to sleep with another women when he had loved Sarah so much for so long…

But they were both old, and Abraham needed a child.

* * *

><p><em>He<em> _needed a child_, Mered thought. He had been the same. After Ishbah had been born, Bithiah bore no more children. It was not done to spite her, or because of his lusting after the young woman – called Jehudijah. It was a necessity. In these days, when one lived by the strength of his arm and the sweat of his brow, many children were a blessing. This meant that the family could survive in a world where they were totally self-dependent.

Bithiah understood and even complied, but he knew that she had not been happy with this arrangement.

Jehudijah bore him three sons – Jered, Heber and Jekuthiel – and died shortly thereafter. Bithiah accepted her three step-sons as if they were her own, yet he knew that she was still uneasy about his decision. It was done out of necessity, she knew that.

Yet still...

"Mered!" He turned about and saw his young friend. Even forty years older than he had first been, he was still older than he had been.

"My prince!" Mered bowed.

"Please, none of that bowing before me," the prince of Judah said. "To you, I am still Salmon son of Nashon." They embraced, and kissed upon the cheek as was the custom, then turned out to look at the camp of Judah that lay before them.

"I have been called to appear before Moses and Eleazar," Salmon said. "They didn't say what, but they made it clear that the message was urgent."

"Maybe they finally found a wife for you, eh?" Mered teased. Salmon chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you haven't thought about it! I mean, just once!"

"Okay," Salmon nodded. "Maybe I have, you know, _lusted_ after some of the women in the camp."

"More than lusted?"

"You know we have laws about those kinds of things!" Salmon hissed.

"Relax, I'm just making jest." Mered returned. "But surely, you must find a wife...and soon! You're fifty-four and _still_ unmarried!"

"And you're almost sixty and have your hands _full_ with children!" Salmon returned. "Six? How can you manage?"

"I do, even if I don't have servants to wait on me hand and foot." Mered shook his head. "But they're all grown up by now. Miriam was conceived almost a week after Bithiah and I..." He turned to his friend and shook his head. "Any rate, she's old enough now and has a family of her own. All of my sons do, even Jehudijah's sons."

"Relax, my old friend," Salmon said. "When the **LORD **sees fit to send a woman to me, you will find the house of your friend brimming with noise and Bithiah, well, she will be nurse-maid to my wife..." he turned to Mered. "Well, naturally. We _are_ friends, after all. If I had a sister, she would have been nurse-maid to your children." He gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good man, now I'm off to the meeting."

"Goodnight, Salmon."

"Peace be with you, my old friend."

* * *

><p>The elders of Israel were hardly elder. The oldest of them could not have been older than sixty. The three remaining, however, were <em>ancients<em>. They were the oldest members of the congregation. Caleb, almost ninety, was a strong warrior even in his old age. His faith had endured through the long years of wandering. Joshua, now eighty, was not as bold as before: more restrained, but his faith had grown as well. Both were mighty warriors, well renown throughout the camps of Judah and Ephraim, yea, throughout the whole congregation.

Between them sat the eldest of the elders. His face was still obscured by the veil he wore, but that did not keep the long locks of white hair and the long, shaggy white beard that broke through the folds of the veil. The robe that his mother had sewn for him was now old and frayed, even torn in several places. Yet it, like the strength of the man on whose shoulders it rested, had not fully given up, had not waned into uselessness.

"People of Israel," Moses said. Forty years of dealing with their problems without Aaron or Miriam there to hold his hand had hardened his tongue. The stammering refugee had been transformed into a nigh-venerable patriarch.

"For forty years," he said. "We have journeyed through the wilderness. Our iniquity has been pardoned, and the cup of our punishment is at last empty." He adjusted his veil, so that his glowing eyes shone from out of the recesses of his veil.

"It is time," he announced. "Time to make our final march..." He waved to Eleazar, who rolled out a map of the land of Canaan, which had been perfected over their years of wandering and many other espionage missions into the land.

"...over the River Jordan, and into the Promised Land...to possess it, at last."

"My lord," the prince of the tribe of Reuben said, bringing up the prince of Gad with him as well. They now stood up before the map, and the prince of Reuben pointed to several lands east of the Jordan river.

"These lands here," he said. "Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Beon and the land around mount Nebo...perfect for raising cattle."

"If we have found favor in your eyes," the prince of Gad said. "Please, let us stay on _this_ side of the Jordan and let our two tribes possess..."

"...the good land while your brethren go to war?" Moses asked. "Do not discourage the hearts of the children of Israel to enter into the Promised Land, for so did your fathers do before you, and for their insolence, the **LORD** cursed us to wander in the wilderness for _forty_ years!" He rose up, his hand upon the heavy staff that was in his hand: a new staff, to replace the one broken at Kadesh-Barnea.

"The fig has not fallen far from the tree-branch, eh?" Moses queried.

"I don't know what you..."

"You follow in the footsteps of your fathers and your fathers' fathers!" he shouted, his staff in hand. "Be warned, if you do this, the **LORD** will utterly forsake you and send you back into the desert, and _you_ shall utterly destroy the people!"

"N-No, never!" the prince of Gad gasped.

"We mean no disrespect!" the prince of Reuben said. "We'll just build folds for our cattle and towns for our little ones. We'll still go out to war!"

"And-And with this promise," the prince of Gad added. "That we will never again return to those cities until _all_ our people have gained their inheritance."

"Eh?" Moses asked. He then scoffed, and returned to his seat. "So be it. You will build your cities on the eastern side of the river, and come over armed for battle: and you will be guiltless." He lifted a finger in admonition in their direction.

"But be certain, your sins _will_ find you out! If you remain or refuse to come to war, then you will have sinned against the **LORD**!" He dismissed then with a wave of his hand.

"Tell the good news to the people," he sighed.

"We're going home."

* * *

><p><em>Part Two - the Prophecy<em>

The nobles were not happy to be here, bowing and scraping on behalf of their king before some nomad in the mountains. Even if he were a powerful sorcerer, many of them thought that they could defeat this new threat to their borders by a show of force.

But King Balak demanded, and they had to do as their king commanded.

"Balaam, son of Peor," they greeted the hermit. "On behalf of Balak, son of Zippor, High King of Moab, we offer and extend our greetings to you."

"We bring a message from His Highness to you, sorcerer." another said.

"I am not a sorcerer," Balaam said. "I am a warrior-prophet."

"In that case, your grace, hear the words of your king:" another began, unfurling a parchment and reading from it.

_His High Exalted Prince and Lord, Balak the son of Zippor, King and Sovereign of Moab, sends his greetings to you, Balaam son of Beor, castellan of Pethor. Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: yea, they cover the face of the earth, and have moved against our neighbors, our enemies and our allies and now move against Your Lordship. Verily, they shall eat up this whole land as an ox eats up the grass of the field! Come now therefore, I pray thee, and curse these people for me, that I may defeat them in warfare. To show my honor to this agreement, I have sent these princes with gifts of gold, silver and fine linen as advance payment of the debt that I owe you for completing this simple task._

Balaam looked behind them and noticed the train of servants, each of them with bags heavily laden with the gifts.

"Such a bountiful fore-payment!"

"And His Lordship has promised much more the increase if you will do as he requests."

Balaam shrugged.

"How can I refuse?" He then held out his hands in welcome. "But, please, you must be tired from your long journey. Come, rest in my land, have something to eat, drink to your fill, and I will send with you my message, and...myself but a few days behind you."

* * *

><p>"Wake up!" Balaam shouted to his servants. "We're having an early start today!"<p>

They got up and began packing first his things then some of his others.

"Get my donkey ready! We're going to Moab!"

In but a few minutes' time, all was in readiness. Balaam threw himself up on his donkey, picked up a small goad of reeds, and kicked the donkey in her hind-quarters. Behind him the other servants made their way. They were now out of the walls of Pethor, it slowly vanishing behind them.

"Balaam," a voice whispered.

"Huh?" he stopped. "Who's there?"

"**JEHOVAH**, the **LORD** God of Israel." the voice said.

"Oh," Balaam said. "I've heard about You! They say You're greater than all the other gods of our lands. Huh? Well, You're the first one to _start_ a conversation, that's for certain."

"What are you doing, Balaam?"

"I'm off to Moab, to curse Your people!"

"Shall those who I have blessed be cursed? Please, return to your home, for you will not curse the Children of Israel!"

Balaam laughed. "And who's gonna stop me?"

"Who are you talking to?" one of his servants queried.

"Uh? Oh, nothing, just...whoa!"

Before he could say another word, he found the donkey riding head-long into a nearby field, quite out of the road.

"No!" he shouted. "Back, I say!" But the donkey kept running away from the road. He pulled on the reins, but nothing. "Do you dare mock me?" He picked up the goad and started striking the poor donkey across the neck. "Back to the road, curse you!"

Only a great deal of striking caused the animal to fear the lash and return to the road.

"There! Now stay _in_ the road, this time!"

The donkey brayed, then continued down the road. By and by, they passed through the field and came to a hilly country.

"Careful now," Balaam called back to his servants. "There's not a lot of ground on these roads."

They were now in single file, with the road walled in on both sides. Suddenly, Balaam's donkey brayed and pressed herself against the side of the wall, crushing Balaam's foot in the process.

"Ahh! Stupid beast of burden!" He grabbed the goad and struck the donkey upon the head. "Crush my foot again and I'll drain every drop of your blood!"

Once again they went on, with the road becoming even more narrow, until only one abreast could walk upon it. Without warning, Balaam's mount collapsed beneath him.

"Damn you, you b*tch of an ass!" he roared. He took out his staff and struck the donkey upon the hind quarters. It did not move. "You will not defy me!" He struck the staff upon the donkey's back.

"Will you cut it out already?"

Balaam froze in place. If he hadn't seen the beast's face turn towards him, he could have sworn he heard someone else speaking to him.

"What did you say?" he queried, suspicious and angry.

"I said, stop hitting me! What have I done to deserve this?"

Sure enough, it was coming from the mouth of the donkey.

"Me master, you servant!" Balaam shouted, making crude hand gestures at the donkey. "You obey me, not the other way around! You stubborn ass! If only I had a sword in my hand!"

"Have I ever done this to you before?"

"I...what?"

"I've been in your employ since I was but a wee colt. Have I ever done this before?"

"Well, no." Balaam said, scratching his head.

"Just look ahead, then!" the donkey shouted. "And you say _I'm_ stupid!"

Balaam saw a strong being, clad in armor, shining brightly with a flaming sword in hand.

"_I_ stood in your way," the powerful being said. "Because your way is in direct opposition to the will of the **LORD** God of Israel." The flaming sword pointed at Balaam. "You should be thanking your poor beast, not striking her: had she not turned aside as she did, I would have slain you and spared her life!"

"I have sinned!" Balaam shouted, throwing himself to the ground. "I did not know you were there! Please, let me go home in peace."

"No, but go on your way," the angel said. "But you shall only say what the **LORD** shall speak unto thee."

With that, the being was gone.

* * *

><p>"Well?" a furious Balak asked. "Here we are. Your seven altars of sacrifice are ready. Will you <em>now<em> curse them?"

He shook his head.

"What? Will you defy me these three times? You saw them from the fields of Zophim, that was but a _taste_ of their evil! And you _still_ defy me?"

"Hear the word of the **LORD**, son of Zippor: '**I AM** not a man, that I should lie, nor the sons of men, that I should repent. Shall I not say and accomplish?'"

"Your God has kept you from the _great_ honor I would have bestowed upon you had you cursed them!"

"The **LORD** commands me to bless them, and I must do this: I cannot reverse it!"

"I'll make you..."

"The **LORD** has looked upon Israel," Balaam began. "And seen no iniquity among them. Therefore He is with them, as the shout of a mighty king. Verily the **LORD** God brought them up out of Egypt with great strength. Therefore there is no curse against Jacob, nor any spells brought forth to defy Israel!" He pointed down to the plains. "Hereafter it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel: _What hath God wrought!_

"Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey and drink the blood of the slain."

"Well, don't bless them or curse them, just..." But Balak stopped. Balaam was looking upward, showing no signs of movement, but his eyes were open.

"How beautiful are the tents of Jacob, and how fair are thy dwelling places, O Israel! As the valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the river's side, trees of ceder and gardens of aloe which the **LORD** has planted by the waters! He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be greater than Agag, and his kingdom shall be greatly exalted!

"As I have said before, the **LORD** God brought them out of Egypt with an arm of _great_ strength: behold, He shall eat up the nations who raise themselves up as enemies against Him, and shall break their bones and pierce them through with many arrows. He laid down as a great lion, but who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blessed thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee."

Balak was practically fuming.

"Get out of my sight!" he shouted at Balaam. "You have fore-fitted your place of honor...and the rest of your reward!"

"My lord," Balaam said. "Even if you were to give me your palaces, full of gold and silver, I cannot disobey the command of the **LORD**!" Balak walked away, but Balaam turned to him.

"But I have yet this to say, regarding your people," he began, his eyes wide with amazement. "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but from afar. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall arise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab and destroy the children of Sheth. Edom shall be a possession, yea, even Seir shall be given unto Israel, for they shall do valiantly.

"Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city!" He then paused, walked up to the top of the hill, and pointed towards the lands of the Amalekites. "Yea, they were the first of the nations, yet their end shall be everlasting!"

He pointed to another. "Look, there are the lands of the Kenites. They are confident in their strong walls of stone. Nay, but they shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry them into captivit..."

He paused again, the wind howling about the hill-top, sending the smoke of the altars billowing off to one side.

"Who shall remain?" Balaam asked. "Ships shall come from Chittim and afflict Asshur and Eber, until they also perish forever."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Hope that was satisfactory.)<strong>

**(I'm not done with these flash-back references yet, there will be some others...as I see fit. Although I think I'll save Noah for a whole story all unto its own.)**

**(Plenty more events of this story to be told yet, but I won't spend too much time here yet. Now I've got to read through all of _Deuteronomy_ so I can sum it up in one chapter...just _one_ chapter! It will be quite a trial, but so was this whole story...yet I've loved it.)**

**(Until then...)**


	32. Midian My Enemy

**(AN: A rather short chapter, but I guess it needed to be said. Gershom's circumcision is usually left out, but not in my story, so I guess there's room even for this one as well.)**

**(I had some major hang-ups about posting this chapter. It's a war chapter, but not really a justifiable one [if ever that could be said of a war or battle]. Like, with the Amalekites, they were picking off the weak at the back of the congregation, so that was really needful. As far as this is concerned, Ba'al is the deity who is known in certain northern countries as Belus, which brought many bad memories to my mind and therefore gave me some resolve to continue. As Ba'al is a fertility god [among other things], it would make sense that lewd orgies could be part of his worship...which would be something that men would easily choose to worship over something that preaches chastity and faithfulness to one woman. [if you think I'm out of line with that statement, just look at how we are today: marriage is constantly being put down and degraded as 'prison' and the word 'shackling' is used often in the context of a committed relationship.])**

**(And btw, I mean sex-starved heterosexuals are the ones who are destroying marriage by likening it to slavery.)**

**(Enough preaching, time for another chapter!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Midian My Enemy<strong>

Zipporah was dead. His wife of so many years was finally gone. She had returned to Midian to see to the tribes, who were quickly rising up against the Israelites. She had helped to keep the others at bay, the ones who respected her as a leader. But at last, age caught up to her and the good woman's life came to an end.

Now life became just a little bit harder for Israel.

Once more, Moses was alone in the world. Estranged from his sons and their families, and those he loved having all died off: he spent most of his time alone, with the One Being who had not left him yet, the One who would never leave him or forsake him...

The **LORD**.

"**JEHOVAH**," he said, daring to use His name. "The people, they are severely plagued with a great plague. Many have taken sick and died. What is the cause of this grave malady?"

The sigh of the Pillar of Cloud was heard billowing out of the veils of the Tabernacle before the Voice spoke again.

"The people have turned themselves away from Me," the **LORD** said. "This plague shall continue until all those who have turned away from Me, whoring themselves after Ba'al-Peor, are punished."

The sound of rushing feet were heard.

"Yes, what is it?" Moses asked.

"Moses," the young man said. "There is a disturbance in the camp of Simeon. Prince Zimri has been caught in the act of adultery with a Midianite woman!"

He lifted himself up on his staff and followed the young man away from the Tabernacle to where the angry mob was gathered. In the midst, the two huddled together, in fear of the certain judgment that was to fall upon them. Moses was present, with Eleazar and his son Phinehas standing nearby.

"What is this?" Moses asked Eleazar.

"Moses!" cries came from the crowd. "What shall we do?"

"You know the Torah!" Eleazar said to them all. "Whoever commits adultery, they must both be put to death!"

"Show mercy!"

"Is it such a big sin?"

"Adulterers! Kill them both!"

"Wait!" a second voice cried out.

All turned to see Moses. He walked towards the two of them, scrutinizing the woman in particular. She was holding a sheet around her body, but it was her face that he was looking upon.

"I've seen you before," he said. "You're the daughter of Zur."

She nodded.

Zur was one of the five 'leaders' who usurped the rulership of Midian after Zipporah died.

"Your people," Moses began, anger in his voice. "Were given protection, a place with us in the protection of the Covenant, as surely as Jethro gave me protection eighty years ago, and this is how you repay us? With betrayal! Deception!"

"My father and the other princes were promised to be handsomely rewarded," she said, speaking only in her own language: Moses understood what she said. "Balaam gave us more wealth than could ever be imagined, more than your band of squatters could have conjured!"

Moses took a moment to register this. Balaam, he had heard, was a vassal of the King of Moab. But he had heard good things about him. Now, it seems, he had turned against his former stance of blessing and made a secret treaty with Midian. It had only one goal, of course: the destruction of Israel.

"Listen," he said to the others. "We have been betrayed by those we counted our friends. They brought their false god Ba'al-Peor among us, and the hand of God in stern rebuke as well!"

Gasps and cries echoed through the crowd. Phinehas was making his way out of the little ring.

"This is absurd!" one of the princes stated. "This whole nonsense of conspiracy theories from our neighbors! You're senile!"

"You doubt the truth?"

"This 'plague' can't be divine retribution, just a thing of this earth! Are you honestly telling us that the LORD will hold us accountable for having a little fun? Injustice I say, inju-ah!"

A loud cry was heard, then two groans of pain. All took a step back, horror in their eyes. The two adulterers were kneeling in the center, in each other's arms, with a spear running them straight through. The holder of the spear was none other than Phinehas.

"Barbarian!" the prince shouted. "He has killed the prince of Simeon and his mistress in cold blood! We must carry out the Torah! Stone him!"

Moses held his staff before the prince, who looked at him with suspicion.

"You," Moses said. "Who would excuse Zimri's adultery, and that of the people, now seek to use the Torah to condemn Phinehas' zeal?" He turned to the others.

"The Torah says quite plainly," he stated. "That both parties who commit adultery must die." He indicated with an open hand to Phinehas. "The High Priest's son has not only done his duty by executing justice, he has also turned the wrath of the **LORD!**"

More gasped at Moses' revelation.

"The **LORD** has spoken," he continued. "For his zeal, Phinehas and his descendents shall be high priest before the LORD." He then turned about. "Furthermore, any treaty there once was between us and Midian is now annuled due to their treachery." He lowered his head, then turned back to the people.

"Now go!" he shouted. "Punish those who have committed adultery and put their sins to light!"

* * *

><p>Several dozen leaders, and twenty-four thousand others were now dead. Moses was up on the mountain-side, reviewing the writings he had compiled. Not only were the books complete, all the history of God's people from Adam till now, but the Torah was written therein in full: all six hundred and thirteen laws. With it also was an itinerary of their journey so far.<p>

It was almost done. Forty years in the desert, and now they were making their way home.

"Moses?"

"Yes, **LORD**?"

"There is but one task left for you to accomplish, before you shall be gathered unto your people."

"Thank you, O** LORD**," Moses sighed. At last, it seemed, his work was done. He could have rest after one hundred and twenty years of turmoil and strife.

"Take My vengeance upon the people of Midian for the treachery they have committed against you and against Me, by seducing the people with their false gods. After this, go up unto the Mountain of Nebo."

"That's north of Moabite territory!"

"Yes. I shall let you see the Land of Promise with your eyes; for, because of your disobedience at Kadesh, you will not lead the people over the River Jordan."

"Who will lead the people after I am gone?" Moses asked. "Do not leave them as sheep without a shepherd!"

"Bring Joshua, he who is salvation, before the people and Eleazar. Charge him with the task to lead the people, and he shall lead them in your stead!"

Moses smiled. He could not have chosen a better replacement than Joshua.

"Blessed be the **LORD**, God of the spirits of all flesh!" he exalted.

* * *

><p>The battle was won. Twelve thousand Israelites marched to war and returned victorious. Several princes, who commanded the battle, were at the head of a long train of prisoners who made their way to the camp in the plains of Moab. Moses and Eleazar were walking out to meet them, a grim expression on the elder's face.<p>

"We have won a great victory!" one of the captains exclaimed. "We've killed the five princes of Midian, and even Balaam, who was there at the battle." He turned to the snowy-haired prophet, who wore a disapproving look on his face. "Moses, what is it? We did what you asked of us!"

"Yet you spared the people?" Moses said, indicating to those behind.

"We offered them mercy!" the captain said.

"So they can lead you back into idolatry!" Moses shouted. After the incident at Shittim, he learned that the Midianite women were intentionally being whored off by their husbands as per their princes' instructions. Just as prince Zur had no qualms about selling his own daughter as a whore to the people of Israel, he cared not for the wives of his people, herding them off to seduce Israel with their mystery gods of lust and fertility.

"They must die," Moses said. "Save for any of the girls who are maids. They have not been tainted with the evil of Ba'al, they could be turned from their evils. The rest must die."

"But they're women, and-and children!"

"The women will lead your men into idolatry," Moses said, his expression falling as he continued. "The male-children..." He felt awful inside: he had survived such an incident, now it seemed that he was to be the executor of another such incident. "...every boy will grow into a man burning with vengeance." He sighed. "They must die, or we will never have peace in the Land of Promise."

"And..." the captain said, his voice quivering. "And what about the rest of us? Killing women and children!"

"After you have done this," Moses said. "Leave the camp for seven days, purify your clothes and wash the blood from your hands. After seven days, you may return to the camp."

"And the spoil?"

"The **LORD** has told Eleazar what shall be done to it." Moses said. "Speak to him about it."

He walked away, as the cries of the captured Midianites started to rise up behind him.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Last words concerning this chapter. If you read back in <em>Numbers 31<em>, you'll note that it was _Moses_, not the LORD, who commands the women and male-children to be killed. The LORD asks for the spoils to be divided: half for the army, half for the people and a little for the Tabernacle.)**

**(I wish I had works by _Josephus_, it would definitely be an interesting read.)**

**(-sigh- the next chapter, thankfully, will not be as violent.)**


	33. Famous Last Words

**(AN: Well, _here_ is a challenge: summarize the entire book of _Deuteronomy_ in one chapter. Well, that's pretty much what's going on here. Please, for the life of me, don't skip this chapter. There are important things mentioned here that one may not have realized, but are indeed true.)**

**(Chapter title comes from _MCR_'s song [not that big a fan of them, but that song is decent.]. Now enjoy!)**

* * *

><p><strong>Famous Last Words<strong>

All the people were at last gathered together upon the plains of Moab. Everyone was here, from the old men and women to the young children and the current generation. Of the six hundred thousand who left Egypt forty years ago, only two remained. Their children and their childrens' children now stood before him: well into the millions they were. Stars of the heavens and sands of the before them on the side of a mountain, the ancient prophet sat, his hand upon his staff. Next to him were Joshua, Caleb and Eleazar.

"Moses?" Joshua said to the old man. "The people are assembled."

"Good," he said, nodding his head. He then rose to his feet, and threw off the veil that was shrouding his face.

"Children of Israel!" he began. "Hear, I pray you, these last words."

As they cried 'yes' (and 'no') and nodded in agreement, Moses walked down from his high spot and walked among them.

"Most of you are too young to have remembered it," he continued. "I remember your parents and your grandparents, who were first led out of Egypt. They are now gone from us, and with them, the memory of all that has happened. Therefore, pay heed:

"The **LORD** our God told us, while we were camping at Mount Sinai, that we had been there too long and that the time was come to take our journey to its final steps: to the Land of Promise."

He walked back to the rise, a smile on his shining face.

"If you doubt the **LORD** shall keep His word, just look at yourselves! You have indeed become as the stars of the heavens for a great multitude! The **LORD** saw fit to give you princes and governors, that I might not bear the weight of all of you alone.

"And so we traveled north and came to the wilderness of Paran, and we sent out spies to search out the land and see if it were good. When the twelve returned, they said that it was indeed a good land, but your fathers and many of you said that the **LORD** hated you and brought you up here to die...even though He went before your camp, keeping you safe, with fire by night and cloud by day: as a man bears his son!

"Yet you were rebellious against the **LORD**, and His anger was kindled against Israel. Therefore, to prove whether you would keep His commandments or no, He made us to wander in the wilderness for forty years - until all the generation that had done evil in His sight was consumed. Verily, because of their faithfulness," He pointed to those behind him. "Only Caleb and Joshua shall enter the Promised Land.

"And so we have wandered these forty years, and at last..." He sighed. "We are almost home.

"Hear now this," he continued. "I shall not lead you over the River Jordan to possess the Promised Land. For when we were at Kadesh, I disobeyed His command, to the **LORD**'s great anger."

The people were murmuring at this, and Moses held up his hand and brought Joshua forward.

"The **LORD** has ordained that Joshua, the son of Nun, shall lead you over the River to possess the good land. But you are not yet out of danger." He raised one hand to the Tabernacle. "Behold! The **LORD** has instructed the priests to read from the Torah daily before all the congregation, and it is good. Listen, therefore, O Israel, and pay heed to the teachings and laws of the Torah, that you may live and possess the Promised Land in peace. You shall not add or take away anything from it.

"Surely this generation has seen with their own eyes what the **LORD** has done to idolators. Some of you are members of that first congregation, who came up out of Egypt and children not yet of the age of twenty. Your parents feared that you would be prey to the people of this land - though the kingdoms of Edom, Ammon, Sihon and Og have fallen before the might of the **LORD**.

"Unto you, who have been faithful unto this very day, I say to you that I have taught you everything the **LORD** has commanded me to teach. Keep the Torah and do all that it instructs, for it is your understanding and your wisdom. The people of the world shall look upon you and say 'This is indeed a great nation, a wise and understanding people.' For surely, what other nation had **JEHOVAH** so close to them as He is with us?" He pointed once again to the Tabernacle: "Yea, He dwells among us."

"Amen!" the people said.

"But take heed to yourself:" he continued. "When the **LORD** appeared unto you in a burning flame upon Sinai, He did not appear in a similitude or some physical manifestation. He demands that He be worshipped in faith, and not in idols of wood or stone, or in the moon, or the sun or the stars, which are merely His servants."

He rose his hands up, silencing the congregation as they began to speak again.

"_Hear, O Israel: the _**LORD**_ our God is One _**LORD**_!_ And thou shalt love the **LORD** thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy might. And all these things which are in the Torah, shall be kept by you and by your descendants. If so, you shall be brought into the good land, and inherit that which you did not make.

"Yea, you shall keep the Torah, and teach it diligently unto your children, and talk of it while you sit in your house, or as you walk by the way-side, when you rise to wake and when you lie down to sleep. You shall bind them about your hand as a sign, and write them upon the posts of your doors and upon your gates. This so you shall not forget what the **LORD** has done for you, for thou shalt worship the **LORD** thy God and serve Him, and swear by His name. Nor shall you tempt the **LORD** thy God, as you have done these many times past. But you shall remember all that the **LORD** has done for you: He humbled you and suffered you with hunger and then fed you with mana, that neither you nor your fathers knew; that you may know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the **LORD!**

"Behold, you are to go up and take the good land. Think not that the **LORD** gives you this land because you are a good people, for your hearts have been continuously against the **LORD** since the beginning. Remember therefore, to keep the Torah and diligently obey everything that is written therein: for in so doing, the **LORD** shall drive out the nations from before you and you shall be given the inheritance of greater nations as your possession.

"Remember therefore the words of the **LORD**: you shall not avenge or hold grudges against your brothers, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. You shall not let the people of Ammon or Moab into the covenant of the Torah, for they hired Balaam to curse you. Even so, the **LORD** would not let Balaam curse you, but turned it into a blessing, because the **LORD** thy God loved thee. Therefore, even as He hearkened unto your words at Sinai, the **LORD** shall raise up a Prophet for you from out of your midst. He shall put His words into His mouth and He shall speak unto you all that the **LORD** has commanded."

"Amen!"

"Behold," he continued. "When you have come up into the Land of Promise, you shall raise up a stone and write upon it the Torah and set it up upon Mount Ebal and built an altar and offer a burnt offering before the **LORD**: the first-fruits of thy best flock, as Abel did and the **LORD** honored his sacrifice. Take heed, therefore, to yourselves: this day, you have now become the people of the **LORD** thy God. You shall obey His voice and do His commandments and His statues.

"When you are come into the Land, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Ephraim, Mannaseh and Benjamin shall stand upon Mount Gerizim and say these blessings, which shall surely come to pass if you hearken unto the voice of the **LORD** thy God:

"'Blessed shall thou be in the city, and blessed in the field.

"'Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and of thy cattle and sheep.

"'Blessed shall be thy basket and thy stores.

"'Blessed shalt thou be when thou come in and blessed when thou goest out.'

"Verily, the **LORD** shall be with you and cause thy enemies to be broken before you. Likewise, the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali shall stand upon Mount Ebal and say these curses, which shall surely come to pass if you deviate from the word of the **LORD** thy God:

"'Cursed be he that makes any graven image and worships it.

"'Cursed be he that dishonors his father or mother.

"'Cursed be he that removes his neighbor's landmark.

"'Cursed be he that makes the blind to wander out of the way.

"'Cursed be he that perverts the judgment of the fatherless, the widow, the orphan and the stranger.

"'Cursed be he that lies with his father's wife, or with his sister, or with his mother-in-law, or with any beast.

"'Cursed be he that strikes his neighbor in the privy place.

"'Cursed be he that takes reward to slay an innocent person.

"'Cursed be he that confirms not all the words of this Torah to do them.'

"Verily, it shall come to pass that if you do not hearken to the voice of the **LORD** thy God, and do not observe His statues or keep His Torah, then He shall turn thy blessing into a curse. You will be afflicted with disease and pestilence from all sides, and with the Plagues of Egypt, and you shall be smitten by your enemies and scattered abroad unto all the corners of the earth, to be food to the beasts of the field, the carrion-fowl and none shall send them away.

"The **LORD** shall smite you and bring you and your king, which surely you shall appoint as your ruler instead of the **LORD**, unto a nation which neither you nor your fathers knew, and you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. And you will become an astonishment, a proverb, a warning, a joke before the nations.

"_Verily, I say unto you, that if you do not hearken unto the voice of the _**LORD**_ thy God, and do not observe His Torah or obey His commandments, then the _**LORD**_ shall bring a nation against thee from the far ends of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies: a nation whose tongue you shall not know. A nation of a fierce, inhuman countenance, who shall not show favor to the young or old. And he will eat the fruit of your land, and take the fruit of thy cattle, and shall not leave either corn nor wine, nor oil, nor cattle or sheep. And he shall besiege your cities and break down the walls in which was your trust. And you shall eat the fruit of your own bodies: your sons and daughters, so that even the good men among you will be evil toward you for lack of the food. Yea, even your women will not be exempt, but they shall eat their own children for lack of food!_

"And the **LORD** shall afflict you with the Plagues of Egypt, and you shall be few in number, when you were once as the stars of the heavens. And the **LORD** shall scatter you among the people, from one end of the earth to the other, and you shall worship other gods. And in these nations, you will find no rest, and your life will hang in doubt before you: you will cry for night when it is day, and cry for day when it is night. The **LORD** will bring you back into Egypt where you will sell yourselves back into slavery, but no man will buy you."

Silence broke upon the congregation as they heard this great and terrible statement.

"Yeah, verily, these things shall come to pass for those who will not hearken to the **LORD**. But if you return unto the **LORD** your God and hearken unto His Torah and His word, He shall turn your captivity into freedom, and gather you from the far corners of the earth and send your curses down upon your enemies.

"For this commandment is not hidden from thee - for the hidden things belong to the **LORD**, and all that is revealed is for you and for your children. Nor is it in Heaven or across the sea: but the Word is very nigh unto you, on your lips and upon your hearts, that you may do it. See, the **LORD** has set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, in that I have commanded you to love the **LORD** and walk in His ways and keep His judgments. But if you forsake the **LORD** your God, I denounce you this very day, that you shall surely perish." He lifted up one hand. "I call Heaven and earth as witnesses that I have done all this that you may love the **LORD** and obey His voice, for the **LORD** is your _life_!"

His hands fell down and he turned back to the people.

"I am one hundred and twenty years old," he said. "I cannot go and come again as I used to, and the **LORD** has said that I shall not lead you over the River Jordan. The **LORD** thy God, He will go before you and destroy the nations until you have possessed the land."

He then waved Joshua over, who knelt down before him. He took off his robe, the Levite robe, and draped it over Joshua's shoulders, then placed his hands upon his shoulders.

"Joshua, son of Nun," Moses said. "For your faithfulness before the **LORD**, you have survived these forty years. I charge you and strengthen you, for you shall go over the River Jordan to lead the people into the Land that God has promised to us. Be strong and of good courage, fear not nor be dismayed, for the **LORD** thy God is with you wherever you shall go. He shall not fail you, nor will he forsake you."

Eleazar then approached with a bottle of oil, which Moses poured over Joshua's head. The eighty-year-old future leader of Israel then stepped aside and Moses turned to Eleazar. In his hands was his book, the one he had begun at Sinai when he was but a shepherd unto Jethro. It was now complete.

"Take this book, in which is the full Torah," Moses said to Eleazar. "And put it in the Ark of the Covenant, that it may bear witness against evil and sin of the people."

"Yes, Moses." Eleazar said, taking the books in hand. "Farewell...uncle."

Moses then turned before the people and began to sing.

_Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: because I will publish the name of the _**LORD**_: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He._

_They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of His children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. Do ye thus requite the _**LORD**_, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy father that hath bought thee? hath He not made thee, and established thee?_

_Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee. When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. For the _**LORD**_'s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance._

_He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the _**LORD**_ alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and He made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock; Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape._

_But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee._

_And when the _**LORD**_ saw it, He abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters. And He said, 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend Mine arrows upon them. They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. I said, "I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:" were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, "Our hand is high, and the _**LORD**_ hath not done all this." For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. O, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!_

_'How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the _**LORD**_ had shut them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. Is not this laid up in store with Me, and sealed up among My treasures? To Me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.'_

_For the _**LORD**_ shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. And He shall say, 'Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted, which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you, and be your now that I, even _**I, AM**_ He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, "I live for ever."_

_'If I whet My glittering sword, and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me. I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.'_

_Rejoice, O ye nations, with His people: for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will be merciful unto His land, and to His people._

Moses, having finished his song, held up his hands, spread apart in the shape of a V and, in the manner of the priests, so blessed the people.

"The **LORD** came from Mount Sinai with ten thousands of saints: from His right hand a fiery Law there came for them. Yea, He loved the people; all His saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet, every one shall receive of Thy Words.

"Let Reuben live and not die; and let not his men be few. Hear, **LORD**, the voice of Judah, and bring him unto his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; be Thou an help to him from his enemies. Let the Thummim and Urim of the house of Levi be with the Holy One, whom Thou didst prove at Massah, and with whom Thou strove at the waters of strife. They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments, and Israel Thy Torah: they shall put incense before Thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar.

"The beloved of the **LORD **shall dwell in safety by Benjamin; and the **LORD **shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders. Blessed of the **LORD** be the land of Ephraim and Mannaseh, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, and for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the children of him that was separated from his brethren.

"Rejoice, Zebulun, as you go forth, and be glad, Issachar, in your tents! They shall call the people unto the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall drink of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand. Blessed is he who increases Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head. And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the **LORD**, and His judgments with Israel.

"Verily, Dan is a lion's cub who shall leap from Bashan! O Naphtali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the **LORD**: thou shall possess the west and the south. Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil. Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

"There is none like the God of Israel! He rides upon the heavens to thy help, and His excellency is in the sky. The Eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms. He shall thrust out the enemy from before you and say 'Thou shalt destroy them!' Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; and the **LORD** shall make the heavens drop down dew. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the **LORD**, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places!"

"Amen!"

This done, Moses let his hands fall down to his sides, then walked towards the high mountain that was nearest by the camp: the mountain of Nebo.

"Wh-Where are you going?" Caleb asked.

"To see the new land with mine eyes," Moses said. "As the **LORD** commanded: I shall see the land, but not inherit it."

His staff in hand, Moses walked off towards the mountain, as he had when he departed upon the horns of Sinai. As he had walked off into the desert eighty years ago to be cleansed and purged for the great purpose of the **LORD**, so now he walked off towards the mountain, his staff in hand and alone.

"Do you think we shall ever see him again?" Joshua asked his friend Caleb.

To his great dismay, the old man shook his head.

"Moses' work..." Caleb sighed. "...is finished."

The ancient prophet was now just a speck upon the side of the mountain. It turned around to scale the opposite side of the mountain, and then was lost from their eyes. A cloud descended upon the top of the mountain, and the low rumble of thunder broke the late afternoon desert air. As soon and as suddenly as the cloud had appeared, it was gone again.

All the people of Israel knelt down, bowing their heads. Some even were weeping openly, while others kept silent. They all knew, without the need of words, that the ancient prophet would stand before the Children of Israel no more.

"He was the greatest prophet Israel has ever known," Joshua said to Caleb, looking up at the heights of Mount Nebo. "I doubt we shall ever see his like again."

"Only he, Joshua," Caleb added tearfully. "Only with Moses did the **LORD** speak face to face."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I was surprised how sad this turned out [for me, at least]. So passes Moses, son of Amram and Jocheved. His part in this tale is now over.)<strong>

**(But that does not mean we are stopping here. Oh, not by the least! I'm going all the way, hoping to make _this_ my longest story yet! Moses may be dead, but the Children of Israel need the land in which they must live in...therein, my friends, is the plot of the latter half of my story. For, surely, we have just come to the mid-point.)**


	34. Just Have Faith

**(AN: One short flash-back, and then we're kicking straight into battle and intrigue.)**

**(No ego-boosting meant in this chapter. [lol])  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Just Have Faith<strong>

In the tent of Mered and Bithiah, they were having dinner. It still consisted of mana, but they had grown to appreciate it. With them were their children – for families always stayed together somewhat in the camp of Israel – and prince Salmon as well.

"It's been almost a month since Moses left us," Miriam said. "The mourning can't go on for _that_ long."

"I know what you mean, my dear." Mered said. "We're all anxious to inherit the Land of Promise."

"But what if we won't?" Shammai asked.

"What do you mean?" Salmon inquired.

"I don't know about you, my lord," he said. "Or you, father, or even you, mother, but the rest of us grew up in the desert. For us, home is wherever the camp is. It just doesn't seem that we'd ever know something else, something better, other than this."

"We must have faith!" Mered said.

"Faith, father?" Miriam returned. "You certainly didn't have any faith after Ishbah was born and mother couldn't bear anymore children!"

"Miriam, that's enough!" Bithiah ordered.

"You know it's true!" she returned, standing up before her whole family. "I'm just saying…what right do _you_ have to lecture us about faith?"

She sat down, and Mered remained silent.

"None of us have a right to speak of faith," Salmon said. "Even I have wondered and doubted if the **LORD** will ever bring someone in my path. But just because we have sinned does not mean we should forsake the **LORD** altogether! Yes, we have sinned, but our tribulation is at an end and our iniquities are pardoned."

"How do you know, your grace?" Miriam asked. "How do you know that we aren't going to remain here in the wilderness for another forty years?"

"Because, when those who have been called to the service of the **LORD** sin, they must needs be tested to see if their faith in Him remains true. From what I've heard, it was that way for Moses…and for others…"

* * *

><p>He remembered how happy Sarah had been. A son, and in her old age nonetheless. To say that their son had brought laughter would have been a great understatement. Isaac was the light of their life, and made old age just a little more bearable.<p>

And now, the **LORD** 'Elohim' was asking the impossible.

"Take your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him up as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains I will show you."

He now stood on the brink of the hill, looking out at the imposing figure of Mount Moriah. He had come here all too soon for his liking. As if to compound this already tense moment, with him was his trusted servant, the only person he would ever bring on such a dangerous mission.

Eleazar of Damascus.

"We're here, my lord." he said.

"I know, Eleazar." the ancient sheik sighed. How could the **LORD** be asking this of him, at the age of one hundred and twelve? He should be spending the rest of his days in peace, not being forced to do this.

"Stay here, Eleazar." he said to his faithful servant. "We will return, once we're done with the sacrifice."

"Yes, master."

_Why did I say_ we, he wondered. There would only be one coming down the mountain.

"Isaac?"

"Yes, father?"

"Take the fagots off the donkey, bring them with us."

"Yes, sir."

The young lad removed the bundles of sticks, while the elder lead the way up to the top of the mountain. For every step onward, it was harder for the father. They finally reached the top, and piled the stones upon their make-shift altar.

If the **LORD** had asked him to give up all his wealth, every kine, sheep, goat and camel he owned and every servant in his household, he would rather have done that than do what he was now doing.

_What if it was _not_ the voice of the **LORD**?_ a thought suggested.

That had happened before, that same thought in his own head arising in a tight spot. Only then, it had been _What if it is not the will of the _**LORD** _that Sarah bear your child_? It was his fault, he knew: she suggested it, but he could have rejected her offer, insisted that the **LORD** would provide.

And what happened when he failed then, when he listened to his own doubts? He had to send his own son Ishmael out of the family, banish him and his mother after the lad was mocking young Isaac. It was just like when he called Sarah his sister out of fear of Pharaoh Khufu and King Abimelech: bad things happened.

_Is _this_ my punishment for not listening, _Elohim? he thought. _For my lack of faith? I must return to You the son You gave me?_

The heavens stood silent.

"Father?"

"Yes, my son?" he turned to the lad.

"We're here," he said, indicating to the top of the mountain, placing the bundle down at his feet. "We have the sticks, and the knife, and the fire..." He indicated to the torch in his father's hand. "Aren't we missing the lamb?"

He was breaking up on the inside. It was all he could do to keep from bursting out into tears.

"Elohim will provide for Himself a sacrifice." he returned. He had to tell his son: they had come to the moment of truth.

"And it is you."

"Me?" the lad asked with perplexity. "B-But isn't it an abomination to sacrifice living hu...?"

"It is the will of Elohim!" the father cried, turning his face away. "Believe me, I wish there were another way!"

Silence, just the howling of the wind billowing around their ears.

"You should tie my hands first," the young man said. "Wouldn't want me to get away, would you?"

The father wept openly.

"Oh, my son!" he pulled Isaac into his old arms, gripping onto him with every ounce of strength he had in his old bones.

It was the boy who pushed himself out of his father's grasp.

"Better get on with it," he said, his eyes swimming with tears. "No use dragging it out, father."

The old man nodded, then took the rope that bound the fagot together. With this, he secured Isaac's hands about the wrists. He then picked up the lad in his arms and carried him over to the altar. Every last ounce of strength and resilience kept him from cutting Isaac's bonds and telling him to run for his life. Let the **LORD** curse him and kill him, or do whatever He willed upon him for his disobedience. Anything but this!

_No_, he finally said. _As with Job, the _**LORD** _gives and the _**LORD**_ takes away._

It was the promise of the **LORD** that even brought Isaac into being. The earth belonged to the **LORD**, as it was His created thing. And man, being His own creations as well, were His servants by reason of His creation, whether they worshiped Him or not.

If He wanted to call back Isaac, so be it.

Placing his old, wrinkled hand over the young lad's face, he drew out the knife. It had seen much use since he left Ur: by its blade, the warriors of Elam had fallen in the rout of Chedorlaomer's confederacy. It had also seen the first circumcision, and slain the sacrificial animal for thousands of sacrifices. Now it would taste human blood once more.

The blood of his son.

With a cry of utter sadness and desperation in his voice, he lifted the knife up and prepared to bring it down.

A strong hand seized his wrist, and kept the knife from going all the way down into the boy.

"Don't harm the boy!" Metatron said calmly, staring into the old man's eyes.

"You-You don't understand!" he tried to resist. "I must do this! The **LORD** has..."

"...has commanded that you harm him not!" the angel insisted. With relative ease, Metatron pushed the old man back onto the ground.

"The Almighty Elohim waits until _now_ to tell me not to kill him?" he returned angrily. "The past _three_ days have been nothing but the same message: offer Isaac as an offering! Can't the **LORD** make up His mind?"

"Yes, Abraham," Metatron said. "And all your presumption aside, the **LORD** knows that you love and fear Him above all else. You would not withhold anything from the Almighty, not even your own son."

He gave the old man his hand, and lifted him up from off the earth.

"In return for your confirmation of faith," the angel said. "The **LORD** swears by Himself that He will surely bless you. Your descendants will be like the stars of the heavens and the sand on the sea-shore. They will possess the cities of their enemies..." He paused. "And through you, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed."

He walked over to Isaac and pulled apart the tight knot as if it were nothing more than ash.

"Come, here is your son." he said to Abraham, indicating to Isaac.

Abraham ran over to his son and seized him in his arms. He wept openly once more, but now for joy and relief rather than a fear of loss.

The sound of rushing wind was heard, and Abraham saw Metatron no more. The sound of bleating suddenly echoed from the side of the hill.

* * *

><p>"Haven't we heard the story of Father Abraham a thousand times over?" Miriam asked.<p>

"Even if you had heard it ten thousand times," Salmon said. "It would not cease to be true. Abraham's lack of faith regarding the promise of a son brought the trial of Moriah upon him...or at least, that's what I've drawn from the story." He looked at Mered and his family. "As surely as Abraham was put through that great trial, so we were tried when we marched through the wilderness these forty years. But have faith, my friends!"

Just then, the tent-door opened to the sight of the white-robed priest Phinehas.

"My lord Salmon," he said. "Joshua asks that you report to his tent immediately!"

"I'm on my way!" the fifty-something prince said, rising to his feet. Phinehas disappeared, but Salmon turned to the others.

"We shall see the land of Canaan yet!"

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I thought it fit)<strong>

**(I know my 'definition' of the trial at Moriah might not be in complete agreement with the _Talmud_ commentaries, but the number of differing views goes to show that even the Israelite rabbis were not in 100% agreement with the conclusions they made about the _Torah_.)**

**(Yes, I used Metatron for this scene. And though I've said that ethnically Jewish actors should play the Israelite roles [and they should], since Metatron is neither Jew nor Gentile, it's quite possible that he could be Alan Rickman! [I tip my cap to his performance as Metatron in _Dogma_. That movie might be irreverent, but it's not as bad as some people may think.])**

**(I think that might be the last flash-back, unless I decide to do something about Joseph or Jacob...then again, I could go on to do a whole separate story just about them!)**

**(-steps off the soap-box and starts writing the next chapter- [lol])  
><strong>


	35. Back in Action

**(AN: Here's a familiar story...told with a bit of a twist. Hope you enjoy it.)**

**(Warning, there is language)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Back in Action<strong>

Salmon pushed his way through the tent-doors to the command tent. It was Joshua's own tent, with those things that Moses had used and passed on to him. Standing at his right was Caleb and his left was Eleazar. Gathered before his table were the other elders of Israel and princes of the tribes.

"Friends," Joshua said. "It is time. This night, the days of mourning for Moses are over. Gather the people together and collect all your belongings: in three days time, we enter the Promised Land and take it for our possession!" No cheers at this.

"Be strong, and of good courage!" he continued. "The **LORD** is surely with us. He has brought us up to this moment, and now He holds the door open, waiting for us to take the land of Canaan by force, with Him at our backs! Who's with me?"

Unanimous cries of 'yea!' came from those gathered. Now, it seemed, that they were more receptive towards the commands of the **LORD**.

"We're ready now," one said.

"We've come too far to turn back!"

"Death to all who disobeys your will!"

"The **LORD** was with Moses, as long as He's with you, we are yours to command!"

The old general nodded in recognition of their loyalty.

"Now," he pointed to the map at his table. "We are here, in the plains of Moab. The nearest occupied city is this one..." He pointed to a large fortress on the west-bank of the Jordan River.

"Jericho."

"But that's a Canaanite fortress!" one of them exclaimed.

"And we're safely on the east bank!" he said. "Is it wise to begin our attack there? And it will take months before we can cross the river!"

"We're attacking there," Joshua said. "But..." He held up his hand to silence any dissent. "We won't be going in blind." He rose up to those before him. "I need two volunteers to spy out the city, look for strengths, weaknesses, garrisons, how many they have, and if they know of our presence."

Salmon suddenly stood up.

"I volunteer." he said.

"No, my lord!" Caleb stated. "You're too important to Judah to be lost, if you should be killed in this mission. And you have no heir!" He turned to Joshua. "Let me go in his stead!"

"I need you here, Caleb," Joshua said, placing his hand firmly on Caleb's shoulder. "Old friend. Getting the people ready in three days will be a hard task." He turned to two of the princes. "After all, some of us have pastures to build."

"But we're definitely going to war!" the prince of Reuben added.

Joshua paused, then turned to Salmon.

"You know the risks of this mission?" he asked. "If you are captured, your life will be forfeit. With no heir...not even a wife, the tribe of Judah may fall into anarchy, looking for an heir."

"No," Salmon shook his head. "This is where I need to be, I know this for certain." He turned aside, then halted. "Mered Ben-Ezra will act as regent in my stead, and, should I fail to return..."

"The **LORD** be with you, my prince!" Caleb exclaimed.

"And with us all." he added.

* * *

><p>Salmon left the tents of Judah, after giving a sorrowful farewell to Mered and Bithiah. Without a wife or family of his own, after his father and mother had died in the desert, they were like a second family to him: one that he could respect and love merely for themselves, and not what they could do for him.<p>

Just then, his accomplice ran out from the camp and joined him.

"Prince Salmon!" the young lad exclaimed. "Mattijah, of the house of Benjamin!" Salmon thought this young lad seemed too optimistic, too unaware of the dangers that they were about to face. "I hope you can keep up with me. I'll have Jericho fully covered by next morning."

"Ah, to be young again!" Salmon sighed. "I remember when I was your age. We respected our elders! In the name of God, what will we do with this generation!"

Mattijah laughed. "Getting too fast for you, old man?"

"The strength of youth," the prince of Judah said. "Must be tempered with the wisdom of age. If not, you'd run right into the same mistakes we old ones made and know how to face!"

They both laughed, then turned their sights towards the north, towards their goal.

Mid-afternoon. The two now stood at the edge of the River Jordan. By now, it was quite flooded from its source in the Kinzarit Lake to the north and was swelling up over its edges.

"Well, young boy," Salmon said. "Let's see if your youth and strength can vault this little wash!"

"Afraid to get wet, old man?" Mattijah jokingly returned.

With laughs on their lips, the two waded out into the water. Salmon, who had as a lad lived in Egypt, learned to swim on the Great River Nile. Though he had had no practice in almost forty years, he was keeping his head above water.

Mattijah, on the other hand, had known only the desert.

A sudden cry of alarm caught Salmon's attention, and he saw young Mattijah being swept down-stream. Pushing himself off the muddy floor of the river, he pushed his way through the rushing river and grasped the soaked, woolen cloak. Another hand went up and he found the young lad's arm. He gripped hard and began wading through the water until only dirt, sand and stone were beneath his feet.

The lad was coughing up water as he recovered from his almost fatal crossing.

"So much for the strength of youth!" Salmon laughed.

* * *

><p>It was starting to get late as the two crossed the plain of Jordan, heading toward the dark-walled citadel that stood in the bottom of a valley. They felt quite uncomfortable in their damp clothing: the dry wind did nothing to either calm or warm them, and the sun was already going down. They would surely catch a chill if they remained out during the night.<p>

They turned toward the city, threw their hoods down over their heads, and passed through the huge gates into the city of Jericho.

"It's getting late," Mattijah shuddered. "Sh-Shouldn't we find a place to sleep?"

"Getting tired already?" Salmon returned, laughing. He then composed himself and suddenly got serious. "Still, it is getting late. Follow."

They turned left and went down a broad street of the city. So far most of the buildings were homes, or small businesses which were currently engaged in last-minute commerce for the evening. As they were going, they heard the sound of people whispering as they walked through the streets.

"Do you know what they're saying?" Mattijah asked.

"A little," Salmon said. "I've picked up on some of the Canaanite dialects from Caleb." But he did not say what they were speaking of in hushed tones. It was anything but flattering.

"Here we are!" he stated, pointing to a tall stone structure with a stable to the side. With Mattijah following on behind, they passed through the door and found themselves in a spacious _han_, as such inns were called in this region.

"We can spend the night here." he stated.

Just then, his mouth fell open and, though his eyes remained fixated directly before him, the eyes of his companion were also fixed on the new-comer. A woman, in her early-to-mid forties, walked up to the entrance of the _han_, presumably to greet them.

"Welcome to my _han_," she said. "Please, don't just stand here in the door-way. Come inside."

Salmon shook his head, then nodded. Mattijah cast his eyes this way and that, before following swiftly behind him.

"Peace be upon this house." Salmon said as he passed through the door of the _han_.

"Thank you, my lord." she returned. "You two look rather exhausted. I will fix you a room and see if there's something you can have for supper."

"My thanks, milady!" Mattijah said, bowing before her and smiling as widely as possible.

She returned with a small, slightly-strained smile, then turned and walked back into the inn. Mattijah suddenly found himself favoring his shoulder.

"She's way out of your league." Salmon said.

"Well, she's too young for you, old man!" he whispered.

"And too old for you, boy!"

"Still," Mattijah continued. "Whether old or not, she's aged gracefully...like Sarah come back to the living."

* * *

><p>Hours later, and the two strangers sat at the bar in the parlor of the <em>han<em>, waited upon by the proprietress. Currently, she was chewing out some Hittite who was speaking rather harsh things at her, by the sound of their tones. After she had said something in a language they could not discern, she approached the two Hebrews.

"Sorry you had to hear that," she said to Salmon. She shook her head, sighing. "It's the same thing over and over."

"What is?" Salmon asked.

"Nothing, sir." she said.

"Oh, please." he smiled. "Call me Salmon."

"Nice to meet you," she returned.

"And what's your name?"

"That's not important," she retorted. "What is important is that, despite what that Hittite-dog was ranting about, I am not a harlot." She looked down at the bar, as if embarrassed. "It's stupid, really. I'm an inn-keeper, I have men in and out of this house on a daily basis. I mean, if I were a man, they would know me for what I am, and not slander my name behind my back."

"I didn't think you were a har..."

She placed her hand over his mouth and took him aside.

"Not so loud!" she hissed. "It's bad enough that people say that without cause! I don't need strangers repeating false-hoods in my enemies' ears."

"My apologies," he said, prying her hand off his mouth. "I meant nothing by it."

She sighed, then walked off toward a set of stairs that led to the upper stories. Salmon walked after her. She went all the way to the top of her inn, on the roof that was just five cubits shy of the top level of the city wall. He followed after her, stopping just a few feet away from a few stalks of flax which were left on the roof to dry.

"Why are you following me?"

"No reason," he returned. "I just thought that you were upset and needed comf..."

She shook her head. "You're nice, for an old man."

He felt hurt by this comment. He wasn't that old, not even sixty.

"I guess I have nowhere to speak either," she said. "I'm not as young as I used to be. Who would want an old maid as their wife?" Salmon could sense the bitterness in her voice. "I..." she sniffed. "I am still after the manner of women, as if my own body is taunting me..." She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Salmon. Here I am, acting like a little child. Hardly what you'd expect from someone of my reputation."

"I don't know your reputation," he said. "All I know is what I see."

Out of curiosity, she turned to him. "And what do you see?"

"I see a beautiful woman," he said. "Whom God has blessed and given her great prosperity with this inn."

She tried not to smile like a little girl, but couldn't help it.

"Which god, Salmon?"

He came to a halt. What to say? He had made a compliment about her in the heat of the moment, but now it seemed that he had stuck his neck out too far. If he spoke the name of **JEHOVAH**, his cover would be blown. But before he could make a response, the woman placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him down to the ground.

"Stay out of sight!" she whispered.

"In the name of..."

"Shh!" she hissed. "I think someone's looking for you! Stay here!" She quickly got back to her feet and ran back down the stairs. Moments later, she returned, leading Mattijah behind her.

"Over there," she said, pointing to sheaves of greenish-brown crop. "Hide behind those stalks. I'll get rid of the guests."

"But..."

She was gone before they could make any protest or objections. Moments later, the sound of the door opening beneath them was heard.

"Yes?" she asked. "Come to stay at the _han_?"

"Hold your tongue, harlot! We have it on good authority that two men came to your door."

"Many men come to my inn, captain."

"Strange men," he continued. "They are spies, sent out to sound out the land."

"Oh, those men!" she said. Salmon could feel his heart stop in his chest, even though it continued pounding like a drum.

"You've seen them? Tell me where they are!"

"They just left!" she suddenly said. "Right before the gates were closed for the night."

"Which way did they go?"

"I don't know," she said. "They didn't leave a message." A moment of silence. "What are you doing here? If you hurry, you might catch them!"

Silence once more.

"If I find out that you've anything to do with these spies, it will be the end of you, b*tch!"

The sound of armor clanking against armor was heard. Salmon strained his ears as the clank of iron slowly died down, and breathed a silent prayer of thanks to **JEHOVAH** for this timely rescue and the choice of this woman. While he was thus speaking silently to the God of Abraham, he was suddenly aware of Mattijah breathing very loudly next to him.

"Too much for you, young man?"

"I'm ready to fall asleep!" he sighed.

Just then, steps were heard near at hand. Salmon looked, for fear that the soldiers had not fully left the _han_. Within a few moments, the woman appeared again, pushing the stalks of dried flax out of their way.

"You put yourself in great danger, helping us." Salmon said.

"No more than we are already." she said.

"What do you mean?" Mattijah asked.

"I may be a woman, but I'm not stupid!" she returned. "I've heard the rumors about your people, the ones who came up from Egypt when I was a little girl. And recently, the destruction of the Amorites, Sihon and Og." She chuckled uneasily. "It's got all of Canaan afraid of sudden attack...afraid of destruction."

She nodded.

"I know your God - the One they call **JEHOVAH** - is with you," she said. "And that He has given you this land. I only ask one thing: since I have kept you from the soldiers, please!" She practically threw herself at their feet. "Spare me and my family!"

Salmon brought her up to her feet.

"Our lives for your lives," he said. "As the **LORD** lives, we shall not harm your family."

"But, hurry!" She led them down the steps into her own chambers. In it there was a window that looked out at the land beyond them. "If they come back and find you're still here..."

"She's right!" Mattijah said. "We must escape!"

She walked over to her bed-side and brought out a long rope made of strands dyed red. This she tied to the bed and threw the rest out the window.

"Living on the edge of the city wall does have its advantages," she smiled. "Now, quickly! Into the mountains! Stay there for three days, that should help them loose your trail."

"Let's go!" Mattijah said, already clambering out the window.

"But how will we know you won't tell the soldiers where we are once we've gone?" Salmon said, turning to her.

She paused, trying to think of something.

"This!" Salmon said, taking hold of the scarlet rope. "Hang this in your window. When we return to take this land, whoever is inside this house shall live, as long as you do not tell them where we went."

She nodded. "So it shall be."

"Thank you once again, my lady," Salmon returned, nodding in reply. "Rest assured, if your family stays in your house, all shall be well."

She smiled, then Salmon addressed himself to climbing down the side of the wall, the red rope in his hand. Just then, her head appeared out of the window.

"My name is Rahab."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: You like?)<strong>

**('Mattijah' is a variant of the Hebrew name _Matityahu_, which is the original form of the name Matthew. [I pulled an 'Elijah' on that name. As, in Hebrew, his name is _Eliyahu_, but it is Anglicized as Elijah, I Anglicized _Matityahu_ as Mattijah, since Matthew, or Matthias, sounds too Greek]. Also, Kinzarit is a mash-up of _Kinneret_ and _Gennesaret_, both of which are names for the same region we all know in the Greek as...Galilee.)**

**(Also, I'm having that Rahab is _not_ a harlot in my tale. I know that is subject to debate, but the points one rabbi pointed out [that she was still in contact with her family, lived in her own house rather than at the Temple - as the prostitutes of these fertility-gods and goddesses would be housed - and that she had flax on her roof may have indicated a secondary income - something a prostitute probably wouldn't need] made sense in my mind that she was probably an inn-keeper.)**

**(And yes, they did do risque things in those temples back then. I heard once that there were even homosexual orgies in some of the temples in Egypt [they gotta love those big, tall obelisks]. No offense meant, but the obelisk really _is_ a phallic symbol [and this is from someone who isn't that big of a fan of Freud. Honestly, that was my only tiff with Joseph Campbell's _The Hero with a Thousand Faces_: he religiously relied upon Jung and Freud, placing the legends of all the world's cultures - including this one - under the phallic-shaped lenses of Herr Doctor Freud].)**


	36. The New Crossing

**(AN: Long time no see! You didn't think I was done just yet, did you? Still have much more to go forward with, so fasten your seat-belts, we're back in the Promised Land again!)**

* * *

><p><strong>The New Crossing<strong>

Three days had passed since Matthijah and Salmon escaped from Jericho. Now they were once again in the camp of Israel. They gave Joshua their full report, even to the event with Rahab and their promise.

"Such depravity!" exclaimed a prince of Simeon. "To enter into the house of a woman, and a heathen at that! It is against the Torah!"

"You and your brother," High Priest Eleazar said. "Had no qualms about taking said heathen women to your tents, as I recall."

"She was no harlot," Salmon said, a little hastily. After all, the prince's statement was un-called for. "I...She only kept us safe from the guards. Neither Matthijah or I knew her."

The prince of Simeon didn't look that convinced, but Joshua was now on his way out of the tent. Caleb walked on behind him, with the princes standing a bit aside, waiting for some sign from their visible commander.

Who was, in turn, waiting for an answer from his _invisible_ commander.

"**LORD**," Joshua whispered. "**JEHOVAH**, must we indeed fight? We are untrained in the arts of war, and our enemy is mighty and sure in their strength. Save us, **LORD**! Remember thy servant Moses and the Word that You spoke to him."

Still the answer was the same.

"Sir?" Salmon asked.

"Hmm?"

"No need to be afraid, sir." the prince said. "The people of Jericho are shaking in their sandals at the mere rumor of our name!"

"Yes!" Matthijah added. "Surely the **LORD** has delivered Jericho into our hands!"

Silence. The hot desert wind sighed, blowing the curtains of the tent about. An eagle cried in the distance. The murmur of the people down below in the camp could be heard but faintly.

Then...

"Tomorrow," he said. "We move north."

* * *

><p>Three days were spent gathering the people together and marching them north, then another three in preparation. Autumn came to the Jordan vale, and the River was much deeper and wider than before. If the people thought Joshua was waiting for the river to slack its course, they were quite wrong.<p>

On the seventh day after the spies returned from their mission, the camp was in preparation. Not just men of fighting age, but women and children also were gathering their things together. Tents were coming down, animals being prepared and captains barking out orders to all the people.

At the head of the camp, Joshua and Caleb were also giving out orders.

"I want the people to stand back from the Ark. At least two thousand cubits in all directions." He turned to Caleb. "Find Salmon, bring him here."

"Yes sir!" Caleb smiled. Joshua then turned to Eleazar.

"Have the people under-gone the cleansing?"

"As instructed," the high priest nodded.

Joshua then rose his hands, and all the people more or less quieted down.

"Hear ye, people of Israel, what the **LORD** has spoken!" Joshua began. "Listen well, children of Jacob, the words of your God! In this sign, this generation shall know that the Living God is indeed among you, and shall drive the inhabitants of the land out from before you without fail! Behold the Ark of the Covenant of the **LORD** of all the earth!"

Cheers and cries of joy came from the people as Joshua pointed to the Ark, identified by the banner of Levi. Now the princes of the tribes were coming up from the people, being led by Caleb.

"My friend," Joshua said to Caleb. "Give the order. Have the people step back from around the Ark."

Caleb nodded, then turned back to the congregation, giving them the order. Joshua then turned to Salmon.

"You," he said, then turning to the others. "And the rest of you. Stand by my side."

They agreed. Joshua then lifted the Horn of Nun and blew a long, loud blast upon it.

"**_Let the Ark go forward!_**" he commanded.

At this, there were quite a few murmurs from among the congregation. With the River in this condition, they would be swept downstream and the Ark defiled. Many people now believed, but still their belief was mingled with doubt. They believed, not out of faith that what the **LORD** deemed to be best _was_ best, though all the world say differently, but because they could see the Tabernacle, and the Ark standing before them. To them, the Ark was God, and to risk that was the greatest tragedy they could ever comprehend!

To the surprise of all, believers and the faithless, the Ark-bearers made their way to the River. Not but a few moments later, the mighty, flooded Jordan River looked as though a Great Hand had stopped the flow of the waters. To the south, the rest of the waters flowed their course until the river-bed was dry.

The Ark continued through the dry river-bed, until Joshua blew upon the horn once more. Then it came to a halt.

"Princes of Israel," Joshua said, turning to those gathered around him. "Come with me."

They walked out into the drying river-bed, Joshua at the lead. With the southern half of the river cut off, they could pass through without violating the two-thousand-cubit perimeter. Once they were in the middle, Joshua spoke to them.

"The **LORD** has given us instructions," he said. "We are to approach the place where the Ark rests, and take a stone from the river bed."

"How big?" Salmon asked.

"Enough that you must needs carry it on your shoulder." Joshua said.

"Whatever for?" a prince of Benjamin asked.

"They will be placed at the head of the valley of Gilgal," Joshua answered. "At the rear of our camp-ground. It shall serve as an eternal memorial of the work of the **LORD** here this day."

One-by-one, without question or hesitation, they did as instructed. Joshua took one for himself, then walked back to the people. When he was come up within their sight, they shrank back, some even throwing themselves to the ground.

"Be strong and of good courage," Joshua said. "Bow not to me, for I am but a servant of the **LORD**. He commands us to go forward!"

And so the march began once again. Four hundred thousand men of fighting age and the hundreds of thousands of women and children (many of the animals were in the pastures on the eastern border of the river) marched through the River Jordan on dry ground. Even as their fathers and their fathers' fathers walked through the Red Sea. And the waters of the River Jordan did not return to their natural course until the word of the **LORD** came to bring the Ark out of the river-bed.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: A bit short, but it's to-the-point [and hopefully none too purple])<strong>

**(Had some fun with that last paragraph ["and our fathers' fathers' fathers. and our fathers' fathers' _fathers_' fathers!" from Monty Python's _Life of Brian_ came to mind]. Thinking about making the whole siege just one big chapter, rather than splitting it up and such.)**

**(Also, I don't think I shall be posting any new stories yet. I have four or five other stories to be keeping up as well as this one, so nothing _really_ new. As for this story, it's on my to-do list, so it will definitely get done.)**


	37. Siege of Jericho

**(AN: New chapter! Yay! And only 12,000 more words to go before I pass the count of _Joshua: King of Heaven_. I hope I can make it!)**

**(So far I've tried to maintain this as close to the _Tanakh_ and Hebrew tradition as possible. However, with this angelic visitor, I've borrowed from the Judeo-Christian tradition. In that it doesn't seem likely that an angel would accept worship, as the Captain of the Hosts of Heaven did.)**

* * *

><p><strong>Siege of Jericho<strong>

On the walls of the city of Jericho, a sentry saw the blue-brown serpent that was the Jordan River cut in half, as if the hand of Ba'al itself had come down and stopped the flow. He ran to his captain and gave the report. Nobody believed him: they thought he had been drinking on his watch. But he swore by all the gods that he had seen what he had seen.

Then the captain, tiring of his pleas, came out to the wall and looked out. Not only was the river dried up on one end, but a great host was marching across the river.

"By Dagon's tail!" the captain muttered. "What manner of people is this that makes the Jordan River cease its flow to ease their passage?"

"It's the Hebrews!" one of the guards muttered fearfully. All of them looked as though a sea of spirits had encompassed them on all sides. "My grand-sire heard rumors about these people. It's said they overthrew Egypt without fighting a single battle. They have a god who is alive, and works miracles before them! It's He who's leading them!"

"They have _one_ God," the captain said. "We have many." But his outer demeanor belied the fear in his heart. "Still, I think it best to inform the King."

* * *

><p>Night-fall.<p>

The people had been circumcised, according to the Torah of Moses and of Israel. The camp consisted of the many thousands of the people of Israel, the priests and the Tabernacle, and the Army: forty thousand men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of the strength of Manasseh.

Yet even so, as Joshua turned his eyes towards the city, he felt a sense of loss. He was old, true, and wiser than in his younger years. And even now, with the Passover celebration going on in the tents, he feared for the future. Forty thousand against a fortified city. He knew something of warfare, and knew that the defenders of Jericho could hold out against them for a good long time.

He suddenly became aware that he was not alone. He reached for his sword, lying near at hand by his feet, and strode forward to meet the newcomer. He was now close enough to be seen by Joshua's still-keen eyes: a tall warrior, clad in strange armor, with a sword with a straight edge in his hand.

"Who are you?" Joshua asked, gripping the hilt of his own curved sword. The warrior did not answer, but simply continued on his way, sword in hand. Joshua drew his own sword, ready to defend himself.

"Whom do you serve?" Joshua returned, pointing his sword in the direction of the new-comer. "Are you for us or for our adversaries?"

The warrior halted, then looked directly at Joshua.

"**I AM** come before you as Commander of the Armies of **JEHOVAH!**" He said. "Take off your shoes, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."

The sword fell out of Joshua's hand, as if old age had at last settled upon him and he could not hold it firmly. Yet he was still strong, and it was with determined steps that he threw himself to the ground before the Warrior.

"What does the **LORD** bid His servant to do?" he asked at last.

"Tell the people that the morrow after the Passover," the Warrior began. "There will be no more mana from Heaven. You are in the Land of Milk and Honey, and there is food enough to be found in this land."

"Yes, my lord!" Joshua replied.

"Behold," the Warrior said, indicating to the city. "The city of Jericho is shut up against you. A mighty fortress trembles before forty thousand! Verily, the **LORD** has delivered the city into your hands. You shall march around the city once with all your soldiers, with the priests carrying the Ark in the rear. Have seven others standing behind the Ark, each of them carrying shofars. They shall sound once upon the shofars, and so the march shall begin. Do this for six days.

"And on the seventh day, march seven times. At the conclusion of the seventh march, the priests shall make a long blast upon the trumpets. When the sound has been made, then all the people shall cry out with a loud voice, and the walls of Jericho shall fall down and you shall take the city!"

"As the **LORD** wills, so it shall be done." Joshua said.

But when he rose, he saw that he was once again alone.

* * *

><p>"They're ready," Caleb said.<p>

Joshua needed the support of his old friend and comrade. As one who had believed solidly that the **LORD** had not abandoned them for forty years, he had no problem believing that they could take Jericho according to the prescribed siege plan.

Convincing the people, however, would be a different story.

"Gather yourselves together, men of Israel!" Joshua began. "And gird your loins, sons of Jacob! For the **LORD** has given us the city of Jericho."

"We're with you all the way!" one of the princes of Reuben shouted.

"Say the word, Joshua," another prince added. "And we'll follow you into battle!"

_If only it would be that easy, _Joshua thought.

"Let us then prepare ourselves to march," he said. "Form groups of fifties, hundreds and two hundreds. Let the priests repair to the rear of the column, carrying the Ark. I want seven of the sons of Levi to report to me, each of them bearing shofars."

Already the host was mobilizing. The princes who were going into battle with Joshua - Salmon among them, both because of the vow he made and because of his duty - gathered close to Joshua and Caleb, hoping to get some kind of secret knowledge of their plan of attack.

"How shall we attack the city?" the prince of Manasseh asked.

"We shall not attack the city." Joshua returned.

All of them, even Caleb and Salmon, looked at Joshua with surprise at this.

"But how will we take the city if we do not attack?" the prince of Reuben asked.

"I thought you said the **LORD** had given the city into our hands!" the prince of Gad urged.

"And so He has, so He has," Joshua assured them. "But we were not given orders to attack the city."

"We weren't?" Salmon asked.

"Then what are our orders?" Caleb inquired.

Joshua sent up a silent prayer, hoping that this would go over well.

"We were given orders," Joshua said at last. "To march around the city."

Several of the princes laughed at this, even Salmon looked a little concerned. The three that laughed soon subsided when they saw the serious expressions on the faces of Caleb and Joshua.

"You can't be serious!" the prince of Gad snickered. "What are we going to accomplish by walking around the city? We'll be sitting ducks for the archers of Jericho!"

"I thought you had some grasp of military tactics, Joshua," the prince of Manasseh shook his head.

"Why do we bicker over such simple orders?" Caleb asked. "Were it not for Joshua's faith, none of us would be standing here now today. The **LORD** has given us our orders." He took a stand at Joshua's side. "I'm following them."

They looked with disbelief at these two, whom they called blind in the dark chambers of their thoughts. All three of them...

"As will I." Salmon joined Caleb and Joshua.

The other three, now evenly matched in their opinions, simply shrugged.

"I guess we better get ready, then." the prince of Reuben said.

They turned around and walked back towards the rest of the host.

"Why did we agree on this?" the prince of Gad asked. "This is madness!"

"Even so," the prince of Reuben returned. "What choice do we have? The River has returned to its course, so there would be no easy way across. We're in the middle of enemy territory, and if we turn aside now, the people of Jericho will surely hunt us down like dogs. There's no other choice: we either go with him or we die."

One by one, they all resigned themselves to this, their circumstance.

* * *

><p><em>Day One<em>

In the early hours of the day, the morning watchmen upon the walls of Jericho saw a great host marshaling before them. The sound of horns ringing out in the hills caught their attention. The host was now formed into a great column that was marching towards the city.

Once the captain got word of the developments, he ordered the city gates shut and the men-at-arms to prepare themselves for battle. Hands gripped the leather-straps of their slings, or flexed on the strings of their bows, ready to fire down upon the enemy. Yet their captains, by some strange Providence, did not order them to fire. They had a clear shot at the enemy, and they were not even trying to siege the castle. All it seemed was that they were marching around the city, perhaps parading their might before the people of Jericho.

It was enough. Even the rumor of the people of Israel sent the city of Jericho on red alert. Now here they were marching about in the living daylight, with the Ark they had heard so many rumors about, sitting innocuously in the back of the army. Needless to say, even without a single sign of weapons of war or engines of siege, the people of Jericho did not take the Israelites lightly, not in the least.

In the house of a certain woman that stood above a tavern on the side of the wall, its occupant looked out the window. The scarlet rope hung there securely. Below she could see the men of Israel: it seemed as though their numbers would not end. Yet she did not see the face of either one of the men she had saved.

"What if something happened to them?" her mother asked. "Maybe they were killed before they could return to their camp!"

"What if they won't keep their oath?" her father added.

But Rahab was not dealing in what-ifs, not today. She had fulfilled her part, and the two men had sworn by their Almighty God that she and her family would not come to harm. Though she had never seen the power of the Israelites' God at play, and all she had heard was a rumor of great power, something kept her together, some last vestige of strength that kept her from pulling the rope out of the window.

Or was it faith?

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

Once more the shofars of the priests sounded. The army returned to the camp, a full day of marching completed. Many had marched in fear of sudden attack from the high walls of Jericho above, or a sortie from their great gates. None of these, however, occurred. The first lap was completed.

* * *

><p><em>Day Two<em>

The horns rang once more, alerting all that the People of Israel were marching today. A air of unease, of fear, still clung to the city of Jericho as they saw their enemy approach. They had seen their might the day before, and it unnerved many of them. Now they would surely attack, and woe betide the men of Jericho if they do.

They got themselves ready for battle, the men on the walls with their curved bows ready and the gates fast shut. Yet, to their surprise and fear (though the latter was starting to become somewhat weak), the Israelites did not make ready for battle. They did as they had done the day before, and when the shofars rang at last, they returned back to their camp.

This news was later reported to the King of Jericho.

"No need to worry," he said at last. "We are inside the city, they are without. And if they want to walk around our great city, let them. They'll be all the more weary when we smite them down."

* * *

><p><em>Day Three<em>

Another day of marching was over. In the camp of Israel, many tongues were wagging about what they were doing here, and why they were just marching around the city. It was closer to night, and Salmon had joined Mered and Bithiah in their tent for the evening.

"What can this mean?" Miriam asked.

"Is the **LORD** testing us again?" Shammai asked his father.

"Perhaps," Mered admitted.

"But why?" Bithiah queried. "After all, it's not like He couldn't just let us fight for the city."

"Just like the stories," Ishbah added. "We could go in and fight the people of Jericho for control of the city! If the **LORD**'s on our side, why not?"

"I don't know," Salmon admitted. "I'm not the High Priest, I'm not Joshua. I'm just the prince of Judah, and I'm only following orders."

"I can tell," Caleb said. He entered with his daughter Achsah, born during the Wilderness wanderings. She was about thirty. They all rose when he entered.

"No, please," he returned. "Don't stand on my account. We're practically family, we Judaeans." They sat down and Caleb then joined them in their meal.

"So, Caleb," Mered asked. "What do you think, about why we're marching?"

"I am but a man," Caleb said at last. "And all I can tell you is a man's thoughts, born of experience. I do not presume to know the mind of **JEHOVAH**."

"But what thoughts do you have?" Salmon urged.

"Too often," Caleb began. "I have heard our people attribute the wonders and miracles of **JEHOVAH** to the ways of the natural world. Or, if we gain the victory over an adversary, they will claim that it was through _our_ own might that victory was won, not by the **LORD**'s hand."

"But how is that wrong?" Miriam asked. "Are we so powerless that everything must be attributed to the **LORD** God of Israel?"

"Exactly," Caleb returned. "The survival of the people of Israel has rested solely in the hands of God, as with that of all nations. For surely, without Joseph, who would have saved us all from starvation?"

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

"It's a boy!"

Hearing those three words seemed to Jacob like the rising of the sun after a long march through a hard and terrible night. With a smile on his face, he nigh pushed his way through to the tent of his beloved. At the entrance stood ten young men - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar and Zebulun. Within the tent, as he pushed the curtain back, there stood his first-wife Leah, with her maid-servant Zilpah holding baby Dinah in her arms.

But it was in the center of the tent where his attention was drawn. Laying down after an arduous delivery - especially for one so petite - was his beloved. After almost fourteen years, she still looked as beautiful as she had that day at the well.

Kneeling at her side was her maid-servant Bilhah. In her arms was the child, the newborn.

A son.

"Behold, my love," Rachel said to her husband. "The **LORD** has taken away my disgrace." She turned to her servant, who in turn gave the tiny child to his father.

Behind him, Leah felt a twinge of sadness as she could hear soft sobs coming from her husband's lips. She had given him six sons and a daughter from her own body and two more from Zilpah, and as much as he said that he loved each and every one of them, Leah knew that he would love this child more than the others.

"I shall call you Joseph," the father said. "And may the **LORD** give you a brother soon."

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

"But what does that mean to us?" Miriam asked. "Our father, Judah, he was not the most beloved."

"This is not about favoritism," Caleb returned. "It's about trusting in **JEHOVAH**. You all know what had happened before?"

"Rachel was his beloved," Bithiah, who by now knew the story as well as Mered, said. "But she could not bear him any children."

"So the **LORD** suffered Jacob and Rachel to wait for their child," Caleb said. "But it is good that they did, for Joseph saved all the people of Israel from starvation. And we would not even be here today were it not for him."

"But how does that apply to us?" Mered asked.

"We have been given a great task," Caleb finished. "One that many would call insane. Yet **JEHOVAH**, I think, wishes to see if we will wait for His power. So that all the people may know that it was by _His_ hand, not ours, that Jericho was conquered."

* * *

><p><em>Day Four<em>

Joshua stood at the head of the host, ready to lead forth the march once again. He rose his hand to give the order to sound the trumpets.

"Wait!" a voice shouted.

The prince of Reuben, of Gad and of Manasseh were now walking forward to speak with Joshua.

"We've all taken a vote," the prince of Manasseh said. "And we have decided that we will not march today."

"The **LORD** has told us that we must march." Joshua returned.

"There will be no march!" the prince of Reuben retorted. "For three days we have marched around the city, with fear clinging to our hearts like the sand. Fear that we may be attacked. That our forty thousand will not be enough to stand against the might of Jericho!"

"So tell us why we should march?" the prince of Gad asked.

"It is the will of **JEHOVAH**!"

"_Your_ will, you mean!"

"Silence!" Joshua held out his hands to silence them and then stood before the whole congregation.

"The **LORD JEHOVAH** spoke to me," he began. "He said: 'Arise, go over this Jordan, thou and all the people, even the Children of Israel, unto the land which I now give unto them. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that I have given unto you, even as I said unto Moses: from the Wilderness in the South, to Lebanon in the North, the Euphrates River in the East and to the great Western Sea. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.' Then **JEHOVAH** made me this promise: 'As I was with Moses, so I will surely be with thee: _I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee._

"'Be strong and of good courage,' He said. 'For unto this people shall the Promised Land be divided as an inheritance, as I promised unto Abraham, unto Isaac and unto Jacob who is called Israel. Only be strong and of good courage.'

"Be not afraid, children of Israel!" Joshua concluded with a loud voice. "Do not be dismayed, sons of Jacob! For the **LORD** thy God is with us whither-soever we shall go!"

A cheer rose up from the host, cries of victory, and praises to **JEHOVAH** rent the morning air. Joshua then turned back towards the hills, where the seven awaited them.

"_Let the trumpets sound!_"

* * *

><p><em>Day Five<em>

March march march. They got over the mid-week hump, and now the Israelites were encouraged that they could have the city conquered in almost no time. Just two more days and then all would be better.

They were at the bottom of the wall, marching around it as they had these past four days. At Joshua's side stood Caleb and Salmon. As they passed the wall, he pointed up at something hanging just above their heads.

"Yes, I know where it's at," Joshua nodded.

"So you swear that no harm will come this house?" Salmon asked. "We swore by the **LORD** **JEHOVAH** that we would spare the people in that house. The owner is she who saved our lives."

"So let it be done," Joshua replied.

They marched on in relative silence, until at last the sun reached noon-tide. Then Caleb whispered to his friend.

"You know what today is?"

"The fifth day of our march."

"And?"

"Is it not..."

"_Yom Shishi_," Caleb returned. "The day before the Sabbath."

"We were commanded to march for seven days," Joshua said.

"But I doubt **JEHOVAH** would want us to violate His sacred Sabbath," Caleb said. "Did not Moses forbade the people from doing work for the Tabernacle on the Sabbath?"

Joshua nodded.

"We would not be marching for seven consecutive days," Joshua replied.

"But we will have **JEHOVAH**'s blessing if we rest for the Sabbath."

Joshua nodded his head. He recalled something else the **LORD** had said that day when he took charge as the visible leader of Israel.

_Be wary that thou keep all of the _Torah_ which I gave unto My servant Moses; thou shalt not turn away thy foot fro__m obeying it, neither to the right hand nor to the left. Through your obedience, thou shalt be successful and prosperous wherever thou shalt go._

* * *

><p><em>Day Six<em>, _Yom Rishon_

After a brief respite on the Sabbath day, the sun rose up on the first day of the week. The horns were blown and once again the Children of Israel marched around the city of Jericho.

By now, the people of Jericho seemed to have lost all fear of the Israelites. They hadn't done anything but walk around their city. No engines of war were in preparation, no arrows shot at their impressive walls, no declarations of war. They were quite literally spending every day walking.

Then the insults came, and the mocking. The people of Jericho threw things down at them: harmless, but otherwise foul and quite offensive. They cried down foul insults upon them and upon their God.

_Is this the people that destroyed Egypt?_

_Behold the children of folly!_

_The sun has burned their minds._

_See what becomes of the simple-minded when given the freedom to be foolish?_

These were but the best and least insulting of the lot thrown down upon them. Others up-ended their robes and sent filth and excrement down upon them.

Yet they finished the day with their lives still intact. They would needs be purified again, but they were that much closer to their final march.

* * *

><p><em>Day Seven<em>

In the early hours of the dawn, Joshua looked out at the city, the tops of its buildings glowing red in the fire of the sun behind his back. It was still cold in the valley, but it would not be for long once the sun rose up and looked down upon the desert sands.

**JEHOVAH**, Joshua prayed silently. _Give me the courage, the strength...the _faith_, to see this day through and to obey Your will._

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

The camp of Israel was up now. But Joshua had not yet given them the order to march. He had just a little yet to say to them before the day's marching began.

"Children of Israel," he began. "Today, the **LORD JEHOVAH** will be glorified. We shall go up from this place with swords in our belts, ready for battle and a great victory."

"I thought we were marching!" Reuben's prince said.

"And so we are," Joshua answered. "But hear me well! For I shall not repeat these orders. Today we shall not march one time around the walls of Jericho, but _seven_! The priests shall sound their shofars once to initiate our march. Being at the rear of the host, they can keep track of how many times we have marched. They shall sound their trumpets once each lap is completed. Once the seventh march is completed, they shall blow upon their shofars a good long time. Wait for that signal, I will tell you what we must do then.

"When we take the city, all the gold and silver and treasure shall belong to the **LORD**. It shall be given to Him as an offering of thanks for His victory over Jericho. For it shall be by _His_ hand that our enemies will quake before us like a field of wheat in a summer wind. Now go forth! Arm yourselves, for the battle is the **LORD**'s, and He shall deliver Jericho into our hands!"

They dispersed to prepare their weapons for the battle ahead.

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

From above the people of Jericho continued mocking the Israelites as they marched around the city. But when the horns were blown and they kept on marching, this gave them a moment of pause. Some mocked them even more, saying that these fools believed that marching more than once might get their frail, weak God to do something. Others reported this to the king, who dismissed their worries and reminded them that Israel had still done nothing.

The day wore on, a third march had been completed, then a fourth. The people of Israel were becoming weary, for many had only broken their nightly fast and had nothing to eat since then. A fifth lap had been completed. The people of Jericho became more aggressive in their insults and taunts.

Lap number six.

People were weary. Those on the city walls of their taunts, which were unanswered by the people of Israel. Surely, they thought, these great insults would render _some_ kind of response. Yet the Israelites continued to march on, and Jericho went back to its daily routine.

Those outside the walls were weary of the march. They began to question both Joshua and **JEHOVAH**. Were they _really_ leading them? They had come all this way, not to fight, but to march around a city-wall? It would not open the gates, it would not defeat the armed might of Jericho. They felt as though they were wasting their time.

Suddenly, the horns blew.

They did not cease. Their noise resounded across all the hills, as if seventy-times seven shofars were being blown rather than only seven.

Joshua, at the head of the army, drew out his sword and cried with a loud voice:

"**SHOUT, YE SONS OF JACOB! LIFT UP YOUR VOICES, CHILDREN OF ISRAEL! _JEHOVAH_ HAS GIVEN US THE CITY!**"

At once there came a chorus of voices. Forty-thousand tongues were loosed. They roared, they shouted, they cried, they made such a noise that put the sound of the trumpets to shame. They did not cease, but continued to shout, as if, at that moment, the hand of **JEHOVAH** came down and let the full strength of their voices resound, unhindered by the limits of mortals.

A moment of quiet.

Then a terrible rumble. It sounded like an earthquake, yet the earth did not shake beneath the feet of Israel. Someone, on either side, gave a cry. Eyes turned towards Jericho and then all stood silent.

The stones of the city wall began to buckle and tremble. They lurched threateningly forward, then backwards, then they fell down upon the houses and buildings of the city. Cries of fear came from the throats of those who had once mocked as all their mockery was now turned to tears and shame. Heavy sections of wall were crushing buildings like hay. Towers fell down like sheaves of wheat before the scythe of the Almighty.

Jericho's mighty walls, in which they put their trust, were reduced to nothing.

* * *

><p>The order was given. All images of foreign gods to be smashed, and all those who worshiped them were to be put to the sword. All the buildings burned with fire and raised to the ground.<p>

One piece of the wall, however, did not fall. For one house was clinging to it that would not fall, though the rest of the city had fallen about it. To that door came Salmon and Matthijah, with swords in their hands. They pounded upon the doors, and at first nobody once again they knocked, but still nothing. A third time, and the door was pulled open.

"Come with us," Salmon said. "The city has fallen, but you and your family will be delivered."

Rahab told them to wait, then returned to her family and told them what had happened. With bundles and sacks under their arms and staves in their hands, they followed Salmon and Matthijah on their way back out of the city. There they stopped before Joshua and Salmon introduced them to him.

"You have our thanks," Joshua said to Rahab. "For the kindness you showed in keeping these two from harm. You shall live with us, and be numbered among the children of Israel."

At this, Rahab threw herself at Joshua's feet.

"My lord," she said. "What have I done to deserve such good favor? I am but an enemy to your people, as are those of my family. Why should we receive any clemency?"

"Nay, rise!" Joshua said, kneeling down and lifting her up to her feet. "The **LORD** God of Israel, **JEHOVAH**, has promised that He shall bless those who bless His children. It was nothing short of a blessing you gave to my men: a blessing of protection, even at the risk of your own life. You deserve nothing less."

He then turned to Salmon and spoke to him.

"Take her to the tents of Judah," he said. "Give them food and water. Treat them as one of our own."

"Yes, sir!" Salmon nodded, then led Rahab and the others on their way.

"Jericho," Joshua said, turning to the smoking ruins of the city once they were gone. "You shall remain broken, as a testament of the power of **JEHOVAH**. For the **LORD** has said that this city shall be devoted to Him. Therefore, I call **JEHOVAH** to witness that he who shall seek to build this city of Jericho up again shall be cursed. He shall lose his firstborn if he lays the foundation, and his youngest should he build the gates once again."

The Siege of Jericho was over.

* * *

><p>Night-fall. The full destruction of the city was now underway. Billows of smoke rose to the heavens, and only the glare of fire illuminated the ruin of what had once been a great fortress.<p>

In droves came men carrying bags filled with gold, silver, bronze and iron and all sorts of precious stones and fine works of fabric. These were to be given to the **LORD**, as instructed.

One man, however, looked about as he deposited his load of treasure into the pile. He looked this way and that, to be certain that no man saw what he was doing. After he emptied the contents of his bag into the pile, he made one last look in all directions, then took one of the smaller bags that lay among the pile and tossed it into his sack. Then he saw it, the object of his desire. It was a fine piece of work, definitely Babylonian in design. He just _had_ to have it.

With another look around, he tossed it into his bag. Just as he was about to leave, he had that last minute idea, born of greed. _I've gotten off with this much, what is one thing more?_ So he made sure he wasn't being watched again, and stowed a heavy bar of gold into his sack.

_There's so much,_ he thought to himself._ Nobody will ever know anything was missing. Not like it's hurting anyone._

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: This chapter took a while because, any way you slice it, the seven-day march would eventually run into the Day of Rest [aka. the Sabbath], which forbade work. Furthermore, later on in the OT, I believe that they did not fight on the Sabbath [at least they didn't in <em>Macabees<em>.])**

**(Had plenty of fun with this chapter, hope the prose is good and it's not too purplish. Don't know how much more I can put out, but now that Salmon and Rahab are closer together, something important is going to happen - I'll let you guess what.)**

**(That last bit is also going to lead us into our next chapter - and did you like the flash-back to Jacob and his wives? Now _that_ would be an interesting story to tell, as would Abraham. [thinking about doing one of those, or David, or Daniel, or Noah, after this story is done]. Which should I re-tell? Leave us suggestions in the reviews, or just what you thought of this chapter. We're _still_ not done, so hang in there baby!)  
><strong>


	38. What Went Wrong

**(AN: Here's a new chapter for you!)**

* * *

><p><strong>What Went Wrong<strong>

Salmon was at the meeting when the spies returned. After the victory at Jericho, Joshua and the army moved on while the rest of the people remained. Though no new commands had been sent from **JEHOVAH**, Joshua was under the belief that they continue as they had begun: finish the work of taking the land.

So they came to the town of Ai, east of that valley where Jacob had dreamed of a stairway to Heaven. The spies were sent out, though this time, Salmon did not wish to volunteer. He had served his time, and had the dealings of his own tribe to concern him. Now he represented them as prince here at the meeting.

"This is good news," Joshua said, turning to the others. "The spies tell us that Ai is lightly defended." He rose up.

"Jericho was a mighty victory, to which we owe eternal thanks to **JEHOVAH**," he began. "Now we will march towards Ai." Before they agreed, he held up his old hands.

"The whole army need not go," he said. "Jericho took a lot out of us, and we need not weary ourselves over so small an army as that which now sits in Ai."

"Aye!" one of the princes shouted in affirmation.

"Tomorrow," Joshua said, pointing to the prince of Reuben. "You will lead three thousand men to the town of Ai. There you shall smite them!"

"Yes, sir!" the prince smiled. As fearful and doubting as he was, the reports of Ai's weakness made him confident beyond measure of an Israelite victory.

* * *

><p>"Joshua!" Caleb alerted his comrade and leader. "They've returned." Joshua said nothing, he just took to his feet and ran out of his tent to meet them. Surely they had returned with tales of a great victory against the small hosts of Ai.<p>

But the sight that his eyes fell upon was not one of celebration or joy. In fact, it almost looked like...No! It couldn't be! **JEHOVAH** swore He would never leave them!

"My lord!" one of the sons of the prince of Reuben said, standing before Joshua.

"What news do you bring?" Joshua asked.

"We were..." the young man began. "I don't know what came over us. We had three thousand, they must have had at least a tenth of that number. But when we saw their lines, rows upon rows of sword and shield, arrows like thorns bristling from their ranks..." He sighed. Behind him two or three servants were carrying his father, who was mumbling and crying to himself.

"What has happened?" Joshua demanded.

"We were routed!" the son said. "As soon as we saw the enemy, we dropped our weapons and ran. They chased us all the way to Sherabim, killing anyone they found, armed or unarmed. About thirty-six died."

Joshua's hands were trembling. This was madness! An army of three thousand routed and fearful after losing only thirty-six? He ran away from this scene of loss and utter defeat, moving towards the center of the camp.

* * *

><p>"No, Joshua!" Eleazar said, standing in his way. "You know the Torah!"<p>

"I must speak with Him! Let me through!"

"You can't go in there! You will die!"

"We're dead already! Let me through!"

Joshua, old though he was compared to Eleazar, finally pushed past Eleazar and through the heavy _Parochet_ double curtain into the Holiest of Places. He tore his robe down the middle and threw himself face forward onto the rug that sat on the floor of the Holiest Place. Oh, how he wished that this place were not as clean as it was, for he wished to heap sand and ashes upon himself in his shame.

"Oh, **LORD**!" Joshua wept. "What have we done? Why have You abandoned us? Behold, Israel has lost! We shall be delivered into the hands of the Canaanites, and then how shall Your great and holy Name be proclaimed? What shall I say? What shall I do?"

At first, there was only silence. Then the whisper of the wind blowing through the curtains of the Tabernacle. A soft voice spoke, like the whisper of a lover, and Joshua heard what it said.

"Stand up, Joshua," the **SHEKINAH** said. "Why do you grovel in the dust upon your face? Israel has disobeyed My commands, and I will not bless them while they remain in their sin."

"How have we sinned, my **LORD**?"

"Israel has taken that which was covenanted unto Me, and have lied concerning their theft. That is why they could not stand before the armies of Ai. Now stand up, and tell the people to sanctify themselves against the morrow, for there is an accursed thing in thy midst. Thou shalt not stand before thy enemies until it has been removed from thee."

* * *

><p>So it was, with a heavy heart, Joshua called all of the people to assembly. He knew, deep down inside, that one of these people would be burned with fire from the <strong>LORD<strong>, him and all that he had, if they were found with the accursed thing. He waited, while Caleb ordered the people about. Unseen at Joshua's right hand was a messenger of the **LORD**, whispering instructions into Joshua's ear.

"They are ready, Joshua." Caleb said, once all the people were assembled.

"Have the tribe of Judah step forward."

Caleb gave the order, and the Lion's banner walked forth, with the tribe around them. Joshua's eyes looked at his friends among the tribe: Caleb and his daughter Aksah, Mered, Bithiah and their family, and Salmon and Rahab. He feared for them. The messenger had called the tribe of Judah out specifically. Had one of them taken something unholy? Was Rahab's continued existence in violation to the command of **JEHOVAH**?

Joshua gave a quiet, inward sigh of relief when he heard the next commands.

"Let the family of the Zerahites step forward."

A large clan of inter-related people stepped forward. To Joshua's relief, his friends were not among them, neither was Rahab.

"Let the house of Zabdi step forward." he said.

That family stood apart from the rest.

"Let Achan, son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, step forward."

Achan slowly walked forward, his best mask of indifference worn across his face.

"My son," Joshua said to the man, who must have been at least thirty, much younger than he himself was. He placed his hands on Achan's shoulders. "Let **JEHOVAH** be glorified by your deeds this day, I pray thee. Tell me what you have done, do not keep it secret any longer!"

"Why should I hide my deeds?" Achan asked, stepping back out of Joshua's hands. "I was part of those who gathered the spoils and counted them. They were to be dedicated to the Tabernacle and to the **LORD**. But I saw some things that I did not wish to see wasted: a wedge of gold, two hundred shekels of silver and a Chaldean garment of fine embroidery. I kept them out of the inventory. There was so much booty, I thought that nobody would know if that little was missing. I placed them in my tent. I had my sons dig a hole beneath my tent while my wife and I brought the spoils back. They are still there."

Joshua turned to Caleb and nodded. But other than that, Joshua also saw many of those from the army, now gathering around Achan, a murderous look in their eyes. They had lost, been made to look like fools before the people of Ai. Now they wanted revenge.

"Your sin has brought great trouble to Israel," Joshua said to Achan.

"A sin?" Achan mocked. "Borrowing that little was a sin? What kind of greedy, selfish, frugal, exacting God do you demand we worship?"

"And so you and your household shall be troubled for your sin!" Joshua returned. He then saw Caleb running up with a bag in his hand.

"Here it is," he reported. "Just as he said."

"Take him out of the camp!" Joshua said to the congregation, pointing to Caleb. "Him and his family, for they were party to his sin. Have them stoned to death, and their bodies burned with fire."

So it was done. But for how long? Joshua sighed.

_When will we ever learn to obey?_ he thought. _If only we did, these things wouldn't _need_ to happen_.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: I don't know much about if I will do battle scenes. They look good on film, but not so much on paper, eh?)<strong>

**(As for the _Shekinah_, that is a feminine word meaning the 'settling' of the presence of YHVH. As far as that goes, I think that God, being omnipotent, could appear in any form He wishes.)**

**(But there will be one battle scene that is just too good to pass up, and I plan to write about it as much as I can!)**


	39. The Tale of Our People

**(AN: Here's a nice chapter that serves as a breather from the 'battle' that has been going on)**

**(I think, also, it will be the last section of flashbacks. I'm glad you enjoyed them, I enjoyed making them - and would just as soon enjoy fleshing them out into separate stories of their own, if that is to be - and I hope they served as some story importance other than just a quick cut-away to some epic biblical story.)**

**(This, however, is important, not only to the story but to the succession, as you can see if you check _Chronicles_ [or _Matthe__w_ for those who are inclined towards the Judeo-Christian epic].)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Tale of Our People<strong>

The Army of Israel returned from their victory. With the curse lifted, they were given the order to march once again. Joshua held the majority of his force back, then sent a sizable attack-force into Ai: large enough to pose a threat, but not too large. When they reached the gates, they turned tail and fled, the Army of Ai in pursuit.

But this was all to plan. Having defeated Israel before, Ai would be over-confident. So it was that when they attacked, they left no one defending the town.

"Suddenly," Salmon, who was regaling Mered's family with the details. "Joshua raised his spear in his hand and ordered us into the city. So a great force went into Ai and raised it with fire."

"But what about the others?" Bithiah asked.

"Now that Ai's armies were outside of their walls, in the valley, we turned on them. I was in that company. It was good to vindicate our shameful defeat those days ago."

"Then we moved out," Mered, who had been in the second company that had sacked Ai, said. "And surrounded the enemy on all sides. No survivors."

"So what happens next?" Rahab asked.

"We are to move out to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal," Salmon said. "There, we shall conclude Moses' last command to us."

"What was that?"

"The reading of the blessings and curses."

"When will that be?" Miriam asked.

"Soon, very soon."

* * *

><p>After dinner, Salmon excused himself and left their tent, on his way back to his own.<p>

"My lord!"

He turned about and saw Rahab standing in the doorway of their tent.

"Please, call me Salmon." he returned.

"You are a prince, my lord," she replied, her eyes averted to the ground. "It's not befitting for me to call you by your rightful name."

"Our prince is **JEHOVAH**," Salmon said. He nodded to her, then turned to leave.

"I have heard much of your people, my lord," she said, walking after him. "Although, it doesn't seem to be enough."

"What exactly have you heard?" Salmon asked.

"Extraordinary things," she said. "Things so amazing, they just can't be real."

"What things?"

"I've heard that an army of slaves overthrew all-powerful Egypt," she began. "How their invisible God opened the seas before them and lead them through the desert as a pillar of fire, laying to waste any king or prince who dared oppose them."

"It's true, all of it," Salmon said.

"I did not lie when I said that I believed what I have heard about your people," she assured him. "But there's more."

Salmon turned about. "What more?"

"Come come, my lord." Rahab said. "A people so vast do not simply spring up out of the earth. Where did your people come from? How were they made slaves in Egypt, and when did your God start speaking to them above all others?"

He nodded. "Then I have much to tell you." He turned around, continuing on his way and gestured for her to follow after him.

With Rahab in tow, he led her to a small fire that was being tended by several of the young men of Judah. Here they sat down and warmed themselves against the cold.

"We were once called Hebrews," he began. "Because we left Shinar with Heber the Old as our leader."

"Babylon?" she asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "It is said that there was a tower there that men made to reach to the heavens." At this, Salmon laughed: it was grim and mirthless.

"What amuses you, my lord?"

"There are few who know the tale of the Tower of Babylon," Salmon replied. "We had to learn it anew from Moses, when we left Egypt. We've forgotten so much. Yet no matter how much we forget, how many years pass us by, man still wages war against the heavens."

"It is only natural," Rahab replied. "The gods hold the fate of men in their hands, and men want to be masters of their own end."

"It would be too great a trial," Salmon said. "As in the tale of Job, the prince of Uz..."

* * *

><p>It was finally over. Poor Elihu, the youngest of the group, had raved on for what seemed like hours. They knew not that he had such fiery indignation against their arguments. His chest was still heaving from his lack of breath.<p>

But the others were no longer looking at him. They had thrown their faces to the ground, for now a cyclone was coming upon them: a whirlwind of dust and sand and power. Only the bald, sore-ridden creature on the ground remained. Though fearful, he had little else to lose.

Or did he?

"Who is this that darkens My counsel by words without knowledge?" A rhetorical question, and an opportunity for Job to choose whether to lie or to speak truthfully.

"Gird your loins, Job," spoke the Almighty. "I shall ask you, and you shall answer Me:"

"Where were _you_ when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who has gathered the clouds and the waters of the seas, saying 'This far and no further'? Have you commanded in the morning in your days and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you entered the springs of the earth? Have the gates of death opened before you? Have you entered into the treasures of snow, or seen the stores of hail I have kept in preparation for the Time of Trouble? Have you fathered the rain? Did your loins bring forth the ice? Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season, or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Do you know the order of the universe, and can you bring that unto the earth? From whence comes the wisdom of thy body, or the understanding of thy heart? Can he who contends with the Almighty instruct Him? Answer, if you can!"

Job could barely comprehend all that was being said. Before his mind flashed visions of the creatures of the earth - the humble deer, the roaring lion, the dragon, the unicorn, the mighty behemoth and the terrible leviathan - creatures that he had no power over, creatures that could easily destroy him. He furthermore saw the greatness of the earth, and all of its complexities, how they all worked together, in perfect order in spite of the curse of sin. One mistake, one thing out of order, hands unsteadily holding the earth, and it would all be over.

"**LORD**, I am nothing! I dare not saying anything!" he threw his hand over his mouth.

"Would you then void My justice," the Omnipotent said. "And blame Me to make yourself seem righteous?"

Silence.

"Cast out your wrath," **JEHOVAH** said. "Humble the proud with only a glance, then throw them into dust, bound in secret. If you can do this, then I shall accept that your own power can save you."

* * *

><p>"That sounds harsh." Rahab interrupted.<p>

"I thought so for so long," Salmon stated. "But now that I think of the story of Babel, it is no more than man deserves. In times of plenty, we are so easily persuaded that our own hand is powerful, and we forget our Maker. Oh, **JEHOVAH**, multiply our time of need, that we may learn to trust completely in Thee!"

Rahab suppressed a giggle. "That's not exactly what we pray to the other gods."

"Yet, even when we are humbled and fear that we have been forsaken," Salmon continued. "We are not beyond the power of **JEHOVAH**. Many generations passed, and Heber was brought unto his ancestors. Then the **LORD** spoke again, which He had not done since..." He racked his brains for an answer. "I suppose, the time of Noah. It was to Abram, the descendant of Heber, that He spoke: He promised Him great things...

* * *

><p>The sheik stood with Metatron atop a great hill in Hebron. It had been many weeks since he had parted with his dear beloved nephew. He was going south-west, towards the cities of the Plain of Jordan. As usual, Abram waited for the word of the <strong>LORD<strong>.

"Look around you, Abram," Metatron said, indicating to the lands about the hill. "North, south, east and west. Everything that you can see will one day belong to you and your descent." The angel looked, and saw that a dark cloud had passed over Abram's face.

"What troubles you, Abram?" he asked. "The **LORD** is your shield and your great reward. Has He not granted you victory over the Elamite confederacy?"

"What shall Elohim give me, since I have no child? The **LORD** God has given me no son to be my heir. Shall my servant, Eliezar of Damascus, shall he be my heir?"

"A son, fathered by you," Metatron replied. "Shall be thy heir."

"But..."

"Behold!" Metatron pointed skyward. "It is night-time. Look up at the stars. Count them."

Abram laughed. "There's too many to count!"

"So it shall be with thy seed."

"But, but I have no son!"

"Thus says the **LORD**: '**I AM** Elohim, thy **LORD**, which brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land as your inheritance!'"

"But how shall I know that I will inherit it?"

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

The animals lay before him, divided and set against each other. Abram, his staff in hand, tried to keep off as many of the foul carrion-birds that came, but sleep overcame him and when he awoke, he was in a great darkness.

"Know of a surety," Metatron's voice said. "That your people will be strangers in a foreign land, and the people of that land will enslave them for four hundred years. But you shall sleep in peace with your fathers, having lived a ripe old age. And at the appointed time, Elohim will judge the nation that has enslaved His people, and they will be delivered, and carried out with great substance.

"Yet He knows that you have made confederacy with the Amorites. Therefore He will give them space to repent, or, if not, to let the cup of their sins be filled. Therefore, in the fourth generation, shall thy people return to this place."

Suddenly there was a great blaze of fire about Abram.

"And I shall give you this land, which belonged to the Amorites, the Hitties, the Canaanites and the Jebusites - from the Nile to the Euphrates."

* * *

><p>"That was when the promise was made, more or less," Salmon said.<p>

"And it came true?"

"Yes, but hardly as you'd expect," Salmon replied, shaking his head.

* * *

><p>Ten men, ranging from sixty to almost twenty, stood before the Prime Minister of Egypt no more. They threw themselves at his feet, like eleven sheaves of wheat shaken in the wind, or eleven falling stars. Before them stood the Prime Minister's majordomo, and upon a raised platform, hidden under a canopy, was Prime Minister Zaphnath-Paaneah, the most powerful man in Egypt.<p>

"His Grace is most displeased at your foolishness," the majordomo said, using their native Hebrew. "That you would think to get away with your theft."

The brothers hung their heads in shame. Reuben, the eldest, Levi the negotiator and Benjamin the youngest: even Simeon had nothing to say.

"We throw ourselves at your Lordship's mercy!" Judah cried out. "We shall be your slaves for this trespass, all of us!"

The majordomo turned back to his lord, who shook his head and pointed at one person in particular.

"His Grace demands that only the thief be kept in slavery," the mouth-piece said. "The rest of you shall go in peace."

At this, Judah rose up from the ground and ran up the stairs towards the Prime Minister's throne. Guards on either side stepped forward to stop him just mere steps away from the top step.

"Please, I beg you!" Judah cried out. "Let me speak!"

"You can speak to the interpreter," the majordomo said.

"I must speak with him personally!"

The Prime Minister rose and gestured to the guards. They relaxed their hold on the Hebrew and kept him under their watch. The majordomo was summoned to stand at the Prime Minister's side and translate.

"His Grace waits to hear your words."

"My lord, please," Judah began. "Be not angry with me, but I have yet this to say. You know that we have a father, back in Canaan. He is very old, and our youngest brother, Benjamin..." He indicated to the youth, the one in who's grain sack was found the silver divining cup of the Prime Minister. "He is our father's favorite. He...he had a brother once..." A look of utter regret passed over Judah's face. "As good as dead now.

"My lord, when we first left this place, you ordered that we not return unless Benjamin was with us. But this news was hard to deliver to our father, for he loves him dearly, and would end his days in sorrow if any harm should befall him. Verily, my lord, as sure as the **LORD** God, the God of my father, lives, when we return to our father..." He gasped. "And Benjamin is not with us..." He broke down into open tears.

"Oh, I shall be responsible for our father's death!" He gasped for air again.

The Prime Minister, with one hand over his face, called the majordomo over to him and whispered something in his ears.

"His Grace would know why it would be your fault?"

"Because," Judah sobbed. "I swore to my father, before we left, that I shall be personally responsible for any harm that will happen to him, and bear the shame forever."

He threw himself down before the Prime Minister, arms stretched out from his body.

"I offer myself in Benjamin's place," Judah cried. "Please, I beg you! Kill me, make me your slave, beat me, do what you must. But let him go free!"

Silence, broken only by the Prime Minister's vain attempts to compose himself. He spoke in the language of Egypt to those about him, but his voice was weak and filled with emotion. The majordomo bowed, and departed, taking the guards with him as instructed.

"Weep not, sons of Jacob," the Prime Minister said, speaking to them in the language of Abraham. He removed his Egyptian head-dress, revealing his dark, curly reddish-brown hair. Then he brought Judah back to his feet, embraced him and kissed him upon the cheek.

"I am your brother Joseph!"

They were too awestruck, dumb-struck, dumb-founded and plain shocked to make any reaction.

"It's been so long!" he said, as if he was seeing them again after they had been away from camp with the flock over-long. "How is father? Does he live still?"

Still nothing.

"Come here!" he said, stepping down from the platform. "It's me, Joseph!"

They still said nothing, they just gaped in his direction. Joseph took Simeon in his arms and kissed him upon the cheek.

"Don't be angry with yourselves," he said. "Almighty God brought me here to save us all: Egypt and our people." He turned to Reuben, greeting him with a kiss as he had the others.

"You have to go back to Canaan, bring Father and the rest of the family back here. There's still five more years of famine to come, and there won't be food anywhere in Egypt. I'll make all the arrangements. The **LORD** has made me as father to the Pharaoh, I'm sure he will find a place for us to live." He then turned to his youngest brother, cried out and threw his arms around him.

* * *

><p>"That was how we came to Egypt," Salmon concluded. "To save the people of Israel. The rest, as they say, is history. Pharaohs came and went, one Pharaoh didn't appreciate foreigners living on the best land in Egypt, so he threw us into slavery. Four hundred years later, Moses appeared and brought us out of Egypt."<p>

"Wait, you mentioned Judah," Rahab said. "Like the tribe of Judah?"

"Yes," Salmon nodded. "Judah was my grandfather's great-grandfather."

"And you?" she asked. "Do you share any of your ancestor's noble attributes?"

"If I do," Salmon blushed. "It is by the grace of **JEHOVAH**."

"Would you intercede on someone's behalf?" she sheepishly asked. It was hardly something to be asking, especially of a prince.

Yet she dared.

"In which case?"

"On behalf of a stranger, nay an enemy, who has shown you kindness?"

"Surely, aye."

At this, Rahab rose from her place and knelt at Salmon's feet.

"Then let thy servant humbly request," she asked. "That you speak to Joshua and the High Priest on my behalf."

"Regarding what?"

"A marriage to one of the sons of Israel." she said.

"I think that you must be born into the people of Israel to ask such a request."

"I know of my heritage, my lord. But I believe in Almighty **JEHOVAH** as strongly as you do. And, forgive me, my lord, for speaking plainly, but my heart burned within my bosom as I heard the words of your ancestors. If it is the will of **JEHOVAH**, I shall rejoice that I, the lowest of the low, am allowed to worship y...to worship **JEHOVAH**."

Salmon nodded once again. "And which son of Israel did you have in mind to wed?"

She looked up.

"You, my lord."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: More to come shortly! If we don't pass the count in this chapter, we'll do it for sure in the next one!)<br>**

**(The story of Judah's intercession for Benjamin never made me tear up before as it did while I was writing it here.)**

**(Thoughts thoughts thoughts! And is there still enough of Abraham's story left that you would _want_ to hear if I make a story about him after this one? [lol, his was the one I pulled from the most].)  
><strong>


	40. The Battle of Gibeon

**(AN: Here is the promised chapter, and now _Exodus: Birth of a Nation_ surpasses _Joshua: King of Heaven_ as my longest fan-fiction story to date! -cheer with me!-)**

**(There is something I should mention here, about this chapter. I know it may sound slavish to our modern audiences and demeaning and all, but that was part of the _culture_ of the day, not specific to either the Hebrews or anyone else. Living in the desert, in an age before welfare when you quite literally supported yourself, it was a gift to have many children who could work with you. Therefore, in consequence to that need, it would only lead one to reason that to have many children would be the ideal, which is why infertility and barrenness were looked upon with such disdain. Your life became harder thereby. [I'm sure there are plenty of modern day cultural things that the ancients or our descendants would find worthy of ridicule]).**

**(As far as "prince of [tribe name]" goes, the word "prince" is used to refer to a ruler or elder often in the _Tanakh_, and therefore used with artistic license. Obviously, there isn't a "royal family" yet, since Saul Ben-Kish had not been annointed [or even born yet], so they're just 'princes' in that they govern the tribes, not out of any 'royal' blood-line. Although, it could be argued, that the "princes" were chosen from families that were of more direct descent from their ancestor [Mered and Salmon are both of the tribe of Judah, but Salmon gets to be "prince" because he's of direct descent from Judah Ben-Israel]. I use "ben-" and "bar-" interchangably, like in the Scriptures. They both mean 'son of', unless I'm totally mistaken)**

**(Now enjoy this chapter...and the epicness to come!)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Battle of Gibeon<strong>

As ordained by Moses in his last farewell speech, Joshua brought the whole congregation to the slopes of Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. Mered, Bithiah and their children stood with Salmon and Rahab in the tribe of Judah as they awaited first the reading of the Torah. Once the whole of the congregation was assembled, Joshua commanded Eleazar to bring forth the Ark.

Veiled in its blue shroud, it was brought out from the Tabernacle and placed in the center of the two mountains. Carefully, Eleazar brought out the Torah - the complete law of **JEHOVAH** and all of Moses' writings. This he placed upon a tall stone that stood before Joshua. Before the reading began, Joshua ordered men to gather stones from around the mountain-side and pile them up for an altar: specific care was taken to choose stones that were raw and un-hewn. Once this was done, Joshua ordered that offerings be placed upon the altar unto **JEHOVAH**. This having been completed, he turned to the people and began to recite to them the Torah.

All six hundred and thirteen commandments and ordinances of **JEHOVAH** were read before this new generation. Nothing that was written therein was omitted for any reason whatsoever.

So it was that, at the start of the reading, in the camp of Judah, Salmon noticed Rahab fidgeting nervously.

"'And I shall set thy bounds from the Rea Sea in the South, to the Great Sea in the land of the Philistines in the West, from the deserts of Damascus to the North unto the Euphrates River in the east.'" Joshua read. "'For I shall deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee. Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they cause thee to sin against Me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.'"

Changing to glance at his side, he saw Rahab hanging her head dejectedly. Salmon remembered with regret that she was of the people of Jericho.

_But her life, and the lives of her family, were protected by the vow,_ Salmon thought.

* * *

><p>That evening, after the ceremony, Salmon noticed that Rahab had made herself quite scarce. This brought him out of his tent, searching for her. This was the reason why he ran into Caleb outside the tents.<p>

"Oh, my fault, sir." Caleb excused.

"No, please," Salmon replied. "You are the elder, I must yield to you."

"Needn't remind me," Caleb laughed. "I may be old, but I'll still go up against the Anakim at Hebron."

"And may **JEHOVAH** be with you." Salmon blessed.

"My lord," Caleb interjected. "You're out rather late. If I may ask, what brings you away from your tent?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"A woman?"

"Maybe."

"You are unwed overlong, my friend," Caleb smiled. "Please, take Aksah's hand in marriage. I would be honored to be family to the prince of Judah."

"Nay, the honor would be _mine_," Salmon returned. "To be family with the servant of **JEH****OVAH**." As he spoke, he happened to cast his eyes towards the edge of the camp, and saw one swathed in a cloak making their way away from the camp. He excused himself and ran after the figure.

"Wait!" he called back. "Please, stop!"

He reached out, and only caught hold of the runner's ankle, bringing them both down. As Salmon pulled himself to his feet, he saw the identity of the one who was running.

"Rahab?" he asked. "Why are you running from the camp?" If the moon or stars were any brighter, he could have seen the lines on her face, the lines of tears.

"I do not belong here," she said sorrowfully. "I am spared, only to bear no children for the rest of my life...what little is left of it!"

Salmon understood what she meant. "Please, do not leave the camp yet."

"Why not?" Rahab asked. "You were there at Ebal, you heard the words of your God: 'make no covenant with them.'"

"But I am not making any covenant with you," Salmon said. "You are entering into the Covenant of Abraham. I will personally vouch for you before Joshua and the elders of Israel."

She paused, not knowing what to say about this revelation.

"Now, please, return to your tent. I will return in the morrow with Joshua's answer." Salmon nodded, then turned to leave.

"You do your ancestors honor...Salmon." It was the first time she had spoken his right name in quite a while.

* * *

><p>So it was that, in the morning, Salmon Bar-Nashon, prince of Judah, appeared before Joshua, Eleazar and the elders and princes of Israel. Around them, battle-plans were being made for their next move, but Joshua told them to wait while he listened to Salmon' petition.<p>

"With your permission, and with the blessings of **JEHOVAH** and all the elders here," he said. "I wish to take Rahab of Jericho as my wife."

Quite a deal of murmuring and whispers echoed through the tent. Some wagged their heads in disbelief, others eyed Salmon with scrutiny. After this went on for a while, Joshua, who had been deep in thought, stood forth and all were silent. With a hand on his shoulder, he lead Salmon out of the tent.

"I shall be plain in my speech, my friend," Joshua said. "This news brings no lack of disappointment. Are there no women to your approval among the daughters of Israel, that you would choose one from our enemies?"

"Joshua..."

"I cannot begin to tell you how much this news disappoints me," Joshua said. "I've seen many of our people dragging captives from our victories and taking them to their bed-chambers. It's been a cause of stumbling among our people: their bed-mates bring their old gods with them. But for _you_, a just man, and a son of Judah, no less, to have done this!"

"I-I know," Salmon replied. "It is unorthodox, but I _know_ in my heart that I must do this."

"Why?" Joshua asked. "Has **JEHOVAH** spoken to you in a dream or a vision? Have one of your neighbors prophesied this to you?"

Salmon shook his head. "No."

"Then why are you deliberately disobeying the sacred _Torah_, our divine edict?"

"I cannot answer for my reasoning," Salmon said. "But I know in my heart that this _is_ the right choice. I...I will endeavor to teach her our ways, since she is eager to learn and believes in **JEHOVAH**. If-If I stumble, or she causes me or my family to stumble, I shall personally bear the weight of the shame of my choice, and accept the consequences to whatever end."

Joshua sighed. "There is a law against such things, but since there is no immediate penalty, it is the one precept which is flaunted the most. I had hoped for a better example of lawfulness from you, but if your heart is set on this matter, do as you will." Salmon nodded, then turned away.

"I cannot give you a blessing," Joshua said. "Or wish that **JEHOVAH** be with you. For you have violated the _Torah_, and are now under His mercy."

"I understand," Salmon replied, bowing once more before leaving.

* * *

><p>And so it was that, while they were there, Salmon and Rahab were married. Miriam Bat-Mered became lady-in-waiting to the "princess" of Judah, as she was in all but title. All seemed to be well, at least as well as could be expected, here at the camp-site of the Army of Israel in what was being called the Waddi Gilgal.<p>

Just then, a band of merchants were sighted on the horizon. Joshua walked out to meet them, with the princes and the elders in tow. With them was Salmon: his duties as 'elder' of Judah did not classify as "hard labor", and so the _Torah'_s precept that allowed men to stay home with their wives for a year, abstaining from hard labor or warfare, did not apply to this particular situation.

"Hail," Joshua greeted them. "Whence come you and wither are you bound?"

"My lord," one of them, their spokesman apparently, stepped forward, bowing and groveling in the dust. "We come from distant lands, and we have heard tell of the wondrous deeds that you and your God have done in the lands. So the lords of our kingdoms have sent us out to sue for peace, and offer ourselves to you as servants."

"From afar, eh?" Salmon queried.

"Behold!" the spokesman tore off his sandal. "Our clothes were new when we left, but they have been worn by reason of our travel!"

Joshua nodded, then brought the others forward.

"Do you have any wine?" he asked the spokesman.

"Yes, here it is," he said, offering a very old, worn-looking wineskin. "I'm sorry it is not much to look at. They were new when we left our..."

"We shall drink this," Joshua said. "The elders and I, and you as well, as we write up a treaty between your nations and ours." With one hand upon the wineskin, Joshua lifted his left hand up to the sky.

"I call **JEHOVAH**, the **LORD** of Hosts, to witness that our treaty with you and your peoples shall be in good faith, never to be violated by assault of arms or muster of war."

"Amen!" the elders bowed.

Joshua then knelt down and took off his own sandal and placed it at the foot of the spokesman. "Keep this as a visible token of the binding of our agreement."

He looked at it strangely, then picked it up and held it in his hands, as if it were some great treasure.

"Now," Joshua said. "Come with us, and we shall discuss our treaty."

* * *

><p>Three days later, the army was assembled and they made ready to march out for war. Their first target was Gibeon, a city within a wide valley several miles west of the Sea of Salt. As they began to set up camp around the city, a parley company rode forth to meet them. Joshua, with the elders at his side, walked forward to meet the horse-mounted, armored column of Gibeonites.<p>

"What cause do you have to darken our fields with your shadows?" their leader, bedecked like a king, asked Joshua.

"The **LORD** God **JEHOVAH** has given us this land!" Joshua returned.

"Did He also give you permission to break your vows, ones that you swore with Him as your witness?" the king asked.

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.

"You made a deal, Joshua Bar-Nun," the king said. "A treaty that you would not attack Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth, Kiriath Jearim, or any land of the Amorites." He waved forward a servant, who bore a dust-covered device made of leather. "Behold, the sandal of Joshua, given to seal the agreement, if I recall."

"You deceived us!" Joshua returned, thrusting his sword in the direction of a king. "You told us you were from a distant land."

"Lay no blame in my lap, Joshua," the king said. "It was you who held not council with your God. If He's truly as powerful as all we've heard, He could have done something."

Joshua glowered in the direction of the king, nothing to reply. He had spoken true. Behind, he could hear the others of the army and among the elders murmuring and complaining. It was like the desert all over again, only this time they could not break their vow.

Suddenly, Joshua laughed.

"What's so humorous?" the king of Gibeon asked.

"The kingdom of the Amorites shows its fear of Israel by their deception!" Joshua said. "Surely you must have heard what **JEHOVAH** did to Jericho and Ai. As we have the advantage, we dictate the terms of our alliance. For your deception, your people shall serve Israel as cutters of wood and carriers of water. For surely, by the sandal in your hand..." He pointed to the king. "You vindicate that the king of Gibeon groveled on his hands and knees and begged for peace, offering himself as a servant, like a beggar at the foot of a son of slaves!"

The king looked rather taken back by this reality. He said nothing in retort, but led his men back to their cities. Deep down inside, Joshua felt guilty for having scolded Salmon about Rahab. For, surely, he himself had committed a similar deed with the king of the Amorites.

* * *

><p>Many days passed while the Army of Israel waited at Gilgal in Amorite territory, waiting for new orders from the mouth of<strong> JEHOVAH<strong>. So far, nothing had come. Salmon and Rahab had married, and nothing untoward had happened. Which was a relief. The tale of Judah losing two of his sons almost immediately after their marriage to Tamar for their sin against **JEHOVAH** was enough to keep Salmon a bit on edge. However, the wedding and the wedding night passed with no harm or ill befalling either of them. Salmon and Mered were almost tempted to breathe a sigh of relief and accept that, maybe this time, **JEHOVAH** had allowed their marriage to go forth and not be a violation of His sacred edict.

Of course, for Mered, the excuse was that the _Torah_ had not yet been given, and his marriage to Bithiah was no infraction since she was now just another woman of Judah. But for Salmon, one who had adhered to the _Torah_ as much as he had, and yet willingly and deliberately went adversely to it...

The day was disrupted by the sound of hooves riding through the camp to the tents of Ephraim. In the days of Moses, the 'main' tent, where the twenty-four Elders, the High Priest and the Prophet gathered was always in the camp of Levi. Now it was in the camp of Ephraim, where Israel's current corporeal leader, Joshua Bar-Nun, now lead.

The _Torah_ forbade newly-wedded men from undergoing hard labor or warfare a year after their marriage. What with the people of Israel, even the daily duties of a prince, or elder, of the people was quite literally 'hard labor'. Therefore Salmon sent Mered, his trusted friend and comrade, to act as a proxy in his stead. As old Mered entered the tent, he saw that the seat that was usually occupied by Salmon was now filled by Caleb.

"My lord," Mered bowed. "My lord Salmon had hoped that I should speak on his behalf, since he is currently spending his year away from hard labor and warfare."

"That is well," Caleb returned. "However, I have been elected by a casting of lots from the fellow elders. I know Salmon well, he will not object to this."

Mered nodded.

"Wait a moment," Caleb said, as Mered was turning to leave. "Stay a while. A messenger from the Amorites has arrived today. Joshua has entertained him for a while, though I'm not sure wh..."

That very instant, Joshua walked forward into the tent. All the elders rose as he stood before them. Though he was old, he bore the air of a grim, hardened general of many campaigns.

"Children of Israel," he began. "Our messenger was from the king of Gibeon. It seems the other Amorite kingdoms have turned against Gibeon for their allegiance with us."

"How many?" the prince of Reuben asked.

"Five lords," Joshua said. "Jerusalem, Eglon, Lachish, Jarmuth and Hebron." Whispers echoed among the elders, for many of these cities were powerful and known as great fortresses.

"But fear not," he said to them all. "**JEHOVAH** has spoken. The kings of the Amorites have been delivered into our hands!"

Scattered cries of approval came from the Israelite elders.

"Today I want you all to return to your tents," Joshua said. "Take some rest and eat well. At nightfall, we shall march with our Gibeonite comrades...to war!"

Now the cheers came.

* * *

><p>The day seemed to drag on forever. In the tents of Judah, Mered returned to the tent of Salmon and Rahab and told them all that he had heard concerning the meeting and Caleb's appointment. At first Salmon sighed, then he shook his head.<p>

"Caleb's a good man," he said. "I wouldn't trust the fate of Judah in any man's hand other than his." He turned to Mered. "But we're both old men, and our time is coming close to an end."

"Don't say that, dear," Rahab said. "It...it's not a pleasant thought."

"I mean myself, love, not you." Salmon said. "I am old, and my time will soon be at an end."

"**JEHOVAH** forbid," she said. "That you should die before you have seen the birth of your heirs."

"Speak for yourself, Salmon," Mered jokingly said. "I'm not _that_ old. In fact," he held up his hand. "I was just considering. My wife is old, but strong, and all my children have grown into maturity. I shall go in your stead up to the battle, and my sons Shammai and Ishbah as well."

Salmon nodded. "I know Joshua and Eleazar, especially Phinehas, were expecting me to break another rule of the _Torah_..." He trailed off, knowledgeable that what he spoke of was the woman at his side, the woman he loved. "But, no. I shall keep the _Torah_ yet, as we were commanded."

"I know I'm no _kohen_, but..." He looked about, then placed a hand on Salmon's shoulder. "May **JEHOVAH** bless and keep you, may **JEHOVAH** make His face shine upon you, may **JEHOVAH** lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace." He then turned to leave, but found that Salmon was still clinging to his arm.

"Let your sword be bathed in the blood of our adversaries, my old friend," Salmon said in farewell. "Enough for the both of us." He then released his hand and they departed.

* * *

><p>As soon as the twilight hour had come, the armies of Israel were readied for battle. Standards were raised, but only a few torches were carried to light their way. They would attack by secret, not in an all-out strike. Even with the people of Gibeon on their side, it would not be wise to provoke an all-out charge at day-time, when the enemy could prepare their chariots and cavalry. And so, like Abraham and his three-hundred-eighteen servants, the Israeli-Gibeonite coalition marched onward to meet the enemy.<p>

When, at last, the battle was joined at the gates of Gibeon, the clash of bronze upon iron and the roar of battle-cries echoing through the midnight air, the armies of the Amorites were forced to fight on foot. A strange terror filled their horses and the chariot-wheels broke as they began to ride. In the hearts of the enemy, filled already with the burning heat of battle and the fear of sudden death, was now a great sense of embarrassment. They had brought out the battle-wagons, engines such as only few had forty-years ago, pulled by horses with archers upon the wains. It was the ultimate weapon of war. Very few survived being trampled by a chariot, and the men of Lachish lashed blades to the centers of their wheels, hacking those unfortunate enough to be even close to the chariot-wheels.

And all this was now made for naught.

So they fled. Cries of victory rose from the throats of the Israelites and the Gibeonites, but the fearful cries of woe came from their enemies. By morning's light they sounded the retreat. But Israel and Gibeon were hot with battle-fury and gave chase after them. They were now several miles outside of the town of Beth-Horon, another town in the Amorite region. All through the morning very little light had come, for the heavens were covered with a great reek of black clouds. Almost as soon as the Amorites arrived at the outskirts of Beth-Horon, hail the size of pomegranates began raining down on the heads of them. The people of Beth-Horon, fearful of the hail and of battle, would not come out of their houses or open their gates for the Amorites.

At the forefront of the battle, Joshua was met with by the king of Gibeon.

"My lord," the king said. "Far be it for me, your servant, to tell you what to do. But it's the custom for generals to be at the _rear_ of the battle-lines."

"Why?" Joshua asked. "**JEHOVAH** has given us the battle."

"This storm?" the king asked. "The work of your God?"

"Aye," Joshua nodded.

"It could be _my_ gods," the king returned. "Or just a freak of nature."

"Enough talk!" Joshua replied. "Lo! The Amorites are retreating again!"

Once more, the armies of Israel and Gibeon regrouped and charged at the fleeing Amorites. If there was any doubt in the mind of Israel that this storm was by any power other than **JEHOVAH**, they noticed that the wind shifted with them, and the hail only struck the enemy. So many were being felled, in fact, that it gave them reason to fight even _harder_, if not to be outfought by the might of the hail.

The day wore on long, and by the time the three armies reached Azekah, the storm had abated. All told, more foes had fallen by reason of the hail than by reason of the swords. Still on the Amorites fled, and on and on again the coalition chased them. Azekah was now in the distance, and the armies fought on. Fresh troops were kept in reserve, to be brought forth as the front-lines grew weary. Gibeon would charge with their horses, and Israel struck with their swords and their bows and slings. Yet the Amorites, as numerous as they were, fought a losing battle.

Late afternoon in the hills outside of Makkedah, the armies fought on. At a hill, Joshua had at last taken refuge with the king of Gibeon. The battle seemed to go on forever and ever. Wounded were being ferried back behind the lines, but they were constantly advancing that they could not rebuild their tents every moment new wounded came in. But something even worse was happening, something that could not be halted.

"My lord," Caleb said to Joshua, reporting from the front.

"How goes it?" Joshua asked.

"Well," Caleb nodded. "If only we had more time, we might be able to win the day."

"He speaks truth," the king of Gibeon said, pointing out to the west. "Look! The day is growing old."

"Our men have been up all night, Joshua," Caleb said. "They won't be able to stand again when darkness falls and sleep comes over their eyes."

"A pity," the king of Gibeon said. "We are so close, _so_ close, to breaking the enemy lines!"

Joshua seemed to be praying, though he heard what had been said. Then he stood up, straight and tall for his old age, and threw his hands out into the sky.

"_**Sun, stand thou still upon**** Gibeon!**_" he shouted. "_**Moon, tarry yet in the valley of**** Ajalon!**_"

Caleb, who had seen so many miracles throughout his life that he didn't need convincing, nodded and went back to the battle. The lord of Gibeon, however, simply laughed.

"Foolish old man!" he said. "All the gods of all the peoples of all the earth could not stop the Sun and the Moon, even if they had _your_ God on their side as well!" He sighed, feeling that his comrade-in-arms had finally lost it and the fate of the battle now lay in his hands. "I guess we must disengage from the fight."

So the king went down to the front-lines upon his horse and bade his herald sound the trumpets three times. The Gibeonites would be withdrawing from the fight. Even as the cavalry started to pull back, the king saw Caleb, acting prince of Judah, run towards him from the thick of the battle.

"Why are you stopping?" he asked. "We're winning the battle!"

"It's almost night!" the king returned. "Do you know _nothing_ of warfare? We will lose our advantage if we keep on fighting without a rest."

"Doesn't look like night!"

"My riders cannot fight forever!"

"Then let them rest," Caleb said. "Then send them out again! We're almost there!"

With sword in hand, he charged back into the fray. The king of Gibeon checked his horse and then rode off toward the rear of the column to join his cavalry. He would wait and rest, unlike the rest of these foolish Israelites. Maybe, after they had been routed from lack of sleep, or fell asleep on their feet and died thereby, he and his horsemen would charge out, win the day (or evening) and he'd be rid of Israel _and_ the other lords.

_By the gods_, he exclaimed. _The night is growing hot!_

* * *

><p>Four hours more had passed. The sun seemed to float upon the horizon, as if, after thousands of years of sinking, she had finally learned to swim against the onset of darkness. The plain of Gibeon was hot and stifling, but the men of Israel fought on and the Amorites were being driven back once again.<p>

Joshua came down to the armies of Gibeon, specifically to their king.

"Why do you remain in the rear?" Joshua asked. "The battle is **JEHOVAH**'s! The Amorites have been delivered into our hands!"

"What sorcery is this?" the king asked, pointing out to the sky. "It has been many hours since the sun gathered upon the western hills, yet he will not go down into the night! What does this mean?"

"It is the power of **JEHOVAH** working for us," Joshua said. "Now up! We have a battle to be winning!"

The king turned to his herald and commanded the trumpets to sound one long blast. The cavalry kicked their horses and charged out into the fray once more. Charge upon charge, assault upon assault, the Amorites were breaking. Cheers rose from weary but triumphant throats as the last of them began to flee from the hill-country of Makkedah. Almost half the space of a day had passed since the sun did not move, and many of the Amorites were fleeing out of sheer terror. All day, they had endured the hail-storms, but now, it seemed, Utu and Nanna were powerless before the might of the Israelite God. Abandoned by their lords of the sky, they dropped their weapons and fled the field. Israel continued their advance.

"Joshua!" Caleb cried out, grim and fey laughter in his voice. "The Amorites have quit the field again! Here!" He brought forward Mered. "This fellow has something to say."

"What is it, my son?" Joshua asked.

"While I and my sons were afield," Mered said. "We saw five men a-horse, accompanied by body-guards, two apiece, quit the battle before the Amorite line broke. They fled off into the hills, probably into a cave somewhere! Shall we go after them?"

"Not yet," Joshua said. "Take your sons, find the cave and seal it off. Then return with us to finish off their army."

Mered nodded, then departed once more into the battle.

Hours and hours passed, and the plains of Gibeon became more and more heated. At last, through fear, terror and sheer exhaustion, most of the Amorites had fallen or fled. A great victory had been won this day. The Battle of Gibeon was at last over.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: What do you think? Yeah, it's a bit difficult, making an epic battle scene in verse rather than on a more visual medium, like film. Just use your imaginations, that should work out fine.)<strong>

**(As far as what Salmon said to Mered, that's kind of a 'middle English' [or Biblical, if you prefer] way of telling someone to "Give 'em hell". Obviously to use that exact phrase would be too modern****, so I decided to use something that sounded a little more 'dated', or 'archaic' if you prefer.)**


	41. The Nation

**(AN: New chapter! I hope you haven't all left me [lol], because I'm still here.)  
><strong>

**(I've come to an interesting point, and I would like your opinion on it: I stand at a point where I could take up my fiction-press story about the Waldenses, and carry that through each of its three volumes, or I could continue here. If I choose to continue here, once this and _The Early Church_ are finished, I could do one of three things: re-visit _Joshua_, or write new stories about Noah and the Flood and David the King. Which would you like to see? All four of them, or just one or the other?)  
><strong>

**(Anywho, here's the next chapter!)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>The Nation<br>**

The main Israelite camp at Gilgal was soon visited by an army of conquerors. Forty years ago, most of them were either children or not even born yet: their fathers and their mothers feared lest they would be left to die in the wilderness at the hands of the Anakim of Hebron. But here they stood, victorious in battle. The five kings of the Amorites were now as good as dead, trapped forever in their cave after the long Battle of Gibeon, where the sun stood still in the sky. In less than two days after the battle, five more kings were defeated and slain, and two more followed on the days afterward.

In the camp of Judah, Mered and his sons returned to the tent of their lord, the prince of Judah. He had not gone up with them to battle, for the _Torah_ clearly stated that a newly-wed man must not be put to hard labor or go to war for one year after his marriage. They embraced each other with laughs and smiles, and Salmon invited them into his tent to partake of bread and wine, and so they did.

"It seems we have won a great victory," Salmon said, as they sat down and ate.

"By the power of **JEHOVAH**," Mered added.

"Well, His victory is welcome news to our ears," Salmon replied.

"We have some news of our own," Rahab spoke up from Salmon's right-hand, where she sat after serving the food to everyone. "Shall you tell them or shall I, my husband?"

"Tell us what?" Mered asked.

"We shall tell them together."

"As you wish."

"Tell us what?"

"Phineas _HaCohen_ married us while you were away fighting," Salmon began.

"That much is known to us," Mered nodded. "But you said you had _news_. Is this alone that news?"

"Well..." Salmon began.

"I am with child," Rahab beamed.

"Congratulations!" Mered exclaimed. "**JEHOVAH** has surely blessed you after all these years!"

And there was great mirth in the house of Judah.

* * *

><p>In the morning, the camp of Israel was on the move once again. A very special dedication was to take place in a town several miles to the north of the ruin of Jericho. As per the <em>Torah<em>, all were to undergo the rites of cleanliness before the journey was taken and once their tents were set up.

For two days they marched north, through the valleys and canyons, until they came to a beautiful hill country. The hills were dotted with trees unlike any they had ever seen in all of their wanderings: not the tall, shaded palms, or the scraggly acacia of the desert. They were short, but proud, with green needles instead of leaves upon their branches.

Once all had been cleansed, the elders of Israel gathered in Joshua's command tent. Upon a table there sat a map of the region on cured animal-skin. It showed a land with a great body of water to the east. A long river ran from a small body of water at the north to a larger, longer one at the south.

"Elders of Israel," Joshua began. "I am an old man, and there is still much work to be done. The land lies before us." He gestured to the map. "**JEHOVAH** has given us this land: it is our task now to go forward in faith and drive the inhabitants out from before us."

"Yes, Joshua," the elders chorused one after the other.

"Here is how the land shall be divided," Joshua said, gesturing with a short knife. "From Jericho to here shall belong to Benjamin. Dan shall receive the lands from that border to the sea."

"What about the tribes on the other side of the Jordan?" one of their princes asked.

"Your task was to lend your armed might for the battle," Joshua replied. "And you have done well. You shall be sent home with my blessing once we are finished here."

"What about the other half of Manasseh?" the prince of Manasseh asked.

"You shall have land on the western side of the Jordan," Joshua continued. "As far south as Gilgal, with the Aphek river as your south-western border. Your northern borders shall be Beit She'an to the east, Jokneam to the west, and Har-Megiddo to the north."

"What is the name of the town here," one of the princes asked, pointing to a tiny dot near a large mountain. "North of this mountain?"

"Nazareth," Joshua replied. "According to **JEHOVAH**, it shall be a place for those who wish to take the vow of a Nazirite. That mountain, however, is Tabor, and it shall serve as the border of three territories. The land of Jezereel to the east of Tabor shall belong to Issachar, while the land north as far as the old city of Dan shall belong to Naphtali. Zebulon shall occupy the land directly west of Mount Tabor, while Asher shall have all lands west of that, as far as the sea, Aksaph and Sidon in the north."

"What about the others?" Salmon asked.

"Judah shall have all land south of this Jebusite city here," Joshua said, pointing to a city called Jerusalem within the territory allotted to Benjamin. "As far south as Kadesh and as far west as Lachish, with the Sea of Salt as your eastern border. The land around Beersheba, though, shall belong to Simeon. Ephraim shall have the land between Dan, Benjamin and Manasseh, with Ai, Gezer, Aphek and this place as its borders."

Suddenly, Caleb stood up from where he sat at Joshua's right hand and addressed the elders.

"My captain and brother," he said first to Joshua. "Princes and elders of Israel, I beg your patience as I say these few words in your ears. You know what **JEHOVAH** said to Moses at Kadesh-Barnea concerning you and me. Two-score years I was when Moses sent me into the land of Canaan to explore it; I returned and gave a report in harmony with my belief in the power of **JEHOVAH** and my conviction that He was on our side. But the others, save for Joshua here, brought up an evil report and so we were cursed to wander for forty years. But Moses said to me: 'Because of your faith, you shall inherit the land.'

"According to His promise, **JEHOVAH** has kept me alive these five and forty years. Here I stand before you, five and eighty years old and still as strong, still as capable of going into battle and wielding a sword, as when I was forty!" He walked over to the map and jabbed his finger at the mountainous region between Lachish and Kirath Sepher, in the territory that was allotted to Judah.

"Give me that land," Caleb said. "Give me the hill-country of the Anakim, whose strong fortresses and high walls frightened our forefathers. **JEHOVAH** willing, I will drive them out in my old age."

Joshua smiled. "You shall have the hill-country of Hebron," he said. "And go with our blessing and the blessing of **JEHOVAH**, mighty in battle."

Caleb bowed. "Before I go, I have this much to say."

"Say on," Joshua urged.

"If all goes well, and, **JEHOVAH** willing, it will," Caleb said. "I will not stop at Hebron, but move on to Kirath Sepher, perhaps to clear the land for all of Judah. Now, if any one of you are willing to take Kirath Sepher before me, I shall give you my daughter Aksah's hand in marriage."

All cheered at this, and Caleb then returned to his seat.

"Tell us, Joshua," the prince of Zebulun spoke up. "What goodly land have you preserved for yourself, while you have divided the worst land to yourselves?"

"I have divided this land as **JEHOVAH** has instructed," Joshua said. "You have more than enough to do, however, now that your task is laid before you. After our ceremonies at this place are finished, you shall go forth to take the land as instructed." He sighed. "For myself, I would like this small village here, in the hills of Ephraim." He pointed to a place which bore the name Timnath-Serah.

"That is well," Salmon stated. "What say the rest of you?"

One by one, they replied with scattered 'aye', and at last the dividing of the land was complete. Joshua dismissed them, then left the tent and walked out to a small hill where an uncut stone altar had been erected. Standing there was Phinehas HaCohen, Eleazar's son who now stood before the _Shekinah_ as High Priest of Israel.

"Hear, O Israel," Joshua began. "Pay heed, you sons of Jacob. This land has been appointed by **JEHOV****AH**, bless His holy Name, as the resting place for His Sanctuary. Henceforth, this place shall be known to you and your descendants as Shiloh."

More than a few tongues wagged in the congregation of Judah at this statement. Salmon and Mered watched on in solemn silence as the first offering was made upon the stone altar. Then Phinehas ordered the Kohathites and the others to assemble the Tabernacle one last time upon this sacred ground.

**-~-o-~-|-O-|-~-o-~-**

"What do you make of that?" Mered asked as he and Salmon were making their way back to their camp.

"I know not," Salmon shook his head.

"Does that mean you shall lose your place as prince?"

"That is only a title, my friend," Salmon shook his head. "I am an elder of my people, there are elders in every tribe. How could that prophecy refer to me?"

"Pardon, my dear," Rahab spoke up from Salmon's side. "Exactly what is this prophecy of which you speak?"

They came to a halt, the two men catching their breath, for neither of them were as young as they were when they crossed the Red Sea.

"Do you remember what I told you about Jacob and Joseph?" Salmon asked.

"Yes, I remember," Rahab nodded. "You told me that Joseph made it possible for your people to come to Egypt."

"It is so," Salmon continued. "But there is more. It has only been told through generation from father to son in the house of Judah, only to be told to others of that house. I told Mered when I was a child, because it made no sense to me and my father told me no more."

"What was it?" Rahab asked.

"It is said," Salmon began. "That when Jacob was old and knew he was going to die, he summoned his children to him and blessed them. Exactly what was said, I know not. It might be kept in one of the books of Moses: I heard once that he spent much time with the elders of Israel, asking them questions about our past. I know not: all I know is what Jacob said to my ancestor, Judah."

"And what was that?"

"'You shall your brethren praise, for your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies and your father's sons shall bow down to you.' There was more, likening Judah to a lion: that much is publicly known, for our standard bears the likeness of a lion. But the prophecy was this: 'The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come...'"

At this, Rahab understood why they spoke so fearfully among themselves as they left the congregation, and to the nature of their reaction when this place had been officially named.

"What does Shiloh mean?" she asked.

"No one knows," Mered answered.

* * *

><p>The fields and hills south of the Jebusite city of Jerusalem were indeed fertile. Beyond and to the south lay the lands of the Canaanites and the Anakim, but here in the north of the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah, a kind of quiet peace belied the horrors of war that were to come.<p>

Morning light was breaking far in the east. The tents of the people of Judah dotted the hills and valleys of this region as they were making their way slowly southward, to this region given to them. The parting was not easy, for Salmon had left many of his friends behind in the other camps - including Elimelech of Benjamin, a young man who was distantly related to him. But now his path lay directly before him, into the fields of this land. According to what Caleb had said when he first made his search of this land, barley and wheat grew here as abundantly as weeds in a garden, and the hills were perfect for grazing sheep.

For his part, Salmon would stay here in this hill region of Judah. Perhaps he would sow fields with barley and wheat, perhaps **JEHOVAH** would be kind to him and give him much increase of goods, that the name of Salmon Bar-Nashon would be known throughout the tribe of Judah. Maybe, once this war to claim the lands of Judah was done, he could have rest. He was old and did not relish the thought of going into battle anymore. Why must future generations pay for Abraham's forgetfulness?

"My lord!" a voice cried out. He turned back to his tent, where Miriam Bat-Mered, who served Rahab as a maid, peered out of the tent-opening.

"Well?"

"It's a boy!" she exclaimed happily. Salmon clapped his hands together, praised **JEHOVAH**, then made his way into the tent. Within the dark, sweaty caverns of the tent, he saw Bithiah, who chose to serve as midwife, kneeling at one side. There, strewn out upon a bed of blankets after a long night of pain and travailing, laid Rahab, her hair unbound and soaked in sweat. In her arms was a tiny, red-faced baby that wriggled with life.

He knelt down at Rahab's side, and kissed her forehead. Then he looked at the child, his own face in miniature looking up at him.

"He is healthy," Bithiah said. "Although, that was one of the quickest deliveries I have ever witnessed."

Salmon was not listening. He was too busy gazing at this tiny child, a gift of **JEHOVAH**. After so long of waiting for this moment, it was made all the more worthwhile now that it was indeed upon him. Faith and patience made his gift all the sweeter.

"What shall we call him?" Rahab asked her lord.

"He shall be called Boaz," Salmon replied. "For the haste with which **JEHOVAH** brought him forth into the world."

"Behold your son, my lord," Rahab said with a smile, as she handed baby Boaz into Salmon's arms. With tears in his eyes, Salmon carried the baby out of the tent. Before this child, he saw a future brighter than he could ever have imagined. This child would grow up without fear of the cruel lash upon his back. This child would not grow up in the harsh, unforgiving desert, where six hundred thousand and two less men had died over forty years. This child was free.

Miriam stepped aside, pulling the door of the tent open as Salmon walked out into the new morning rising above the land of Judah in the east. With his infant son in his hands, he held him aloft and showed him all the valleys and hills and green plains around them.

"Behold your home, my son," Salmon cried out. "Bethlehem, a house of bread!"

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: You know, I could end the story just now. That was a good ending, if I do say so myself.)<strong>

**(A lot of stuff happened here. For one the short-hand version of the dividing of the land of Israel. The original was quite long, so I tried to make it _really_ short for this version and just get the essentials down. Yes, in case you were wondering, that baby is _the_ Boaz, who later marries a woman of Moab.)  
><strong>

**(However, I've got to do the epilogue, so don't go anywhere just yet.)  
><strong>


	42. Epilogue: Under the Oak

**(AN: One of the reasons to go back and re-visit _Joshua_ is the original one didn't have enough grounding in its Hebrew background, plus a lot of little errors that are nagging me to be fixed. Oh well, it's your decision.)  
><strong>

**(Here is the very last chapter of this story: it didn't break 43 chapters, but it has more words than _Joshua_, and is still, I believe, my longest fan-fiction.)  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue: Under the Oak<br>**

Years passed and the conquest continued as planned. Slight problems occurred, however, when Judah attempted to drive out the Philistines. They battled well in the hills, but the valleys and plains were impossible to take. The Philistines had battle-wains, just as the Egyptians had, and they conquered on the fields.

At last, however, there came a day when a messenger arrived from Manasseh. He said that Joshua Bar-Nun had ordered the elders, leaders, judges and officials of all the tribes to Shechem in Manasseh. The last time they were all there was mere days after the dedication of Shiloh as the resting place of the Tabernacle of **JEHOVAH**, when they at last surrendered that which had been carried with them all the way from Egypt for all these years.

The bones of Joseph.

Salmon, who was among those who now made his journey north to Shechem, remembered how it happened that day. Phinehas HaCohen told them all the story of Joseph and his brothers from start to finish, leaving nothing omitted. He told of how, on his death-bed, he charged his brothers to take him up from out of Egypt on the day when **JEHOVAH**, called Elohim then, would visit them.

Once the speech was complete, the eldest member of each tribe, representing each of the twelve sons of Israel, bore Joseph's bones within their wooden reliquary. Among them were Joshua, representing Joseph's firstborn son Ephraim, and Caleb, representing Joseph's brother Judah, and old Eleazar, representing Joseph's brother Levi, among the others, and they carried the bones of Joseph into their final resting place.

* * *

><p>The elders and judges of Israel did not, however, gather at the tomb of Joseph. They came instead to a grove of oak trees, where an old man with a staff and an old Levi's robe, frayed and worn, upon his shoulders, sat in the warmth of the sun. Here was all that was left of Joshua Bar-Nun, who had once been leader in stead of Moses.<p>

"Hear, O Israel," he began. His voice was old and weary, yet still possessed some of the strength that it once had. "Give ear, O ye elders of the tribes of Israel. Please, I beg you, hear me now, as I speak these last words to you: I am a very old man. My time to lead you has come to an end. I leave you in good hands, and therefore have no regrets. You yourselves have seen with your own eyes all that **JEHOVAH** has done for you: He brought you up here, and has given you this land as your inheritance, as He promised to your fathers.

"Be strong, and of good courage. Remember to obey all that is within the Torah; turn neither to the right hand nor to the left. Associate not with these nations that remain among you: do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them, do not bow down to them or serve them. Hold fast to the **LORD JEHOVAH**, as you have done until this very day. It was by His hand that the great and powerful nations have been driven before you. By His might has no nation ever been able to stand before you. Because **JEHOVAH** fights for us, as He promised, a single one of you could put a host of a thousand Philistines to flight. So remember always to love your God** JEHOVAH**.

"But, if you do not do so, if you allow the nations of the Canaanites to remain with you, if you make allegiance with them and associate with them, then **JEHOVAH** will not drive them out from before you. The people of this land will become snares for your feet, whips upon your backs, thorns in your eyes, until at last you perish from this good land for your foolishness and disobedience!"

No one spoke, for the sheer gravity of Joshua's voice and the severity and solemnity of his words were enough to hold their attention.

"Soon, very soon," Joshua said, his voice a little lower as his eyes fell to the earth. "I shall be gathered unto my fathers, and go the way of all that is in the earth: into the dust from whence it came." He looked up at the people. "You know with all your heart and soul that none of **JEHOVAH**'s promises have failed; every one has been fulfilled. But, just as all the good of His promises have been fulfilled in the time of your obedience, rest assured, all the calamities and destruction He has promised to render for idolators and covenant-breakers shall surely come to pass!"

Whispers and murmuring were once again heard among those gathered about, and Joshua held up his hand and silenced them all.

"Long ago," he began again. "Terah and Heber, our ancestors of old, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. But **JEHOVAH** took Abraham and brought him into this land, and gave him many descendants and promised to visit his children in their time of need. So, when Jacob's children lived in the bondage of Egypt, **JEHOVAH** sent Moses unto you and brought you out into a good land, which you now possess in this time of peace. You live in cities you did not build, eat of the fat of the land which you did not plant." He rose up as he addressed the people even more fervently.

"In light of this, **JEHOVAH** asks only one small price: serve Him with all faithfulness, discarding all other gods your fathers worshiped in the days of old. _If this seems too much for you to do, then choose ye, this day, whom you will serve_: the gods of the Chaldeans, or the gods of the Amorites." Having made his point, he lowered himself back onto the long stone on which he was sitting.

"As for me and my house, we shall serve **JEHOVAH**."

A great clamor arose from the assembled elders. It seemed quite a shock, indeed, for them to suddenly be willing to worship **JEHOVAH,** as they cried out against Joshua's words, saying that they would never serve any other gods.

"You are not able to serve **J**..." He halted. Having heard from so many profane lips the name **JEHOVAH**, the Name of God given to Moses so many years ago, seemed to rob it of its power. "I shall not speak His Name!" He then turned back to the crowd. "_HaShem_ is holy and jealous: if you forsake Him after He has been good to you, you will bring down upon your heads your own doom!"

"No, no!" one of the elders cried out. "We shall serve..._HaShem_!" Other voices cried out in affirmation of what the one had said.

"Do not enter into this covenant lightly," Joshua reminded them. "For your own words this day shall serve as witness against you that you have chosen to serve _HaShem_, the Almighty."

"So let it be written, so let it be done." they replied. "We shall be witnesses, for we shall serve _HaShem_."

"Then throw away all foreign gods from among you," Joshua replied. "And yield your hearts to _HaShem_, the God of Israel."

"We shall serve and obey Him forever!" they said with one voice.

Joshua stood up from where he sat, and with surprising strength for one so old, began to push the stone up from where it had lain on its side. It now stood standing, like the monoliths of the northern people, upon which are inscribed lost secrets of old.

"You put your faith in wood and stone?" Joshua asked. "Then let this stone, under the oak, stand as a witness against you. It has heard every word you have said here, and will testify against you, should you prove unfaithful to _HaShem_."

Silence followed, after which Joshua turned to Phinehas and received from him the _Torah_. Out of this he read to them the full _Torah_ and all of its decrees, even as he had done from Mount Ebal. Once all was done, a new covenant was made: now that the land had been given them and most of their war-fare was done - though they had not driven the Canaanites out of the land fully - they were to continue to keep the _Torah_ and to obey the _HaShem_ of El-Shaddai in all things.

_The covenant made, the word given_  
><em>The sojourn is done, a nation has risen<em>

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Not my best poetry ever, but I needed a good way to end the story. Salmon and Boaz originally was going to be at the very end, but then I decided that, since, in the <em>Tanakh<em>, at least, they were sent out to take their inheritance, did battle, had their time of peace, and then came Joshua's farewell. As such, the scene with Salmon and Boaz must have happened first [at least in this story]. Chapter title is from _Candlemass_ song "Under the Oak" [don't sue me, I don't own that!].) **

**(As far as when _HaShem_ originated, that was artistic license. Most likely, it came about from the volumes of long, arduous commentary, discussion and rabbinical debate known as the _Talmud_. They looked and looked over the words of old and came to the conclusion that God was too holy to be called by the Tetragrammaton [YHVH], so they came up with nonsense words, or called Him "the Name". [another reason I want to re-edit _Joshua_, to have the actual euphemism "_HaShem_" instead of the ridiculous nonsense word I had originally used].)**

**(Whew! I'm finally finished with this great epic! Took me a while, but I left Egypt and am now in the Promised Land. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it [and re-reading it, lol]. Until I undertake my next Biblical epic, take care.)  
><strong>


End file.
